On Her Sleeve
by Expert Shinobi
Summary: Sakura and Gaara embark on a journey to rid themselves of the demons that torment them. Gaara x Sakura.
1. I am Weak

Title: Sudden Exposure

* * *

She was broken -- turned down once again by that stoic figure, with annoyance in his eyes, he spoke the words she had heard nearly 1,000 -- no 2,000 times. 

'_No.'_

Yet that time it seemed harder. Maybe she was growing up, changing her outlook. Somehow, one-sided love wasn't what she needed at that point in her life. It was anything but.

"Come on Sakura…you anticipated this! I mean, how many times have you asked him out?" Ino's voice was small, its usual edge stripped away as she spoke. She had never seen Sakura this down.

Sakura stared down at her toes, wiggling the big one just to make sure she was alive. Lately, it didn't seem as if she even really existed. To Sakura, the days seemed to be growing colder and longer in her life, and she had already been left behind. Naruto and Sasuke were already high level Chuunin, yet Sakura had yet to even retake her own exam. To her it seemed almost…useless.

"You're right…I keep setting myself up," Sakura smiled, her voice almost a whisper.

With one hand, she fisted the fabric of her shirt over her chest. Her heart hurt. She had just recently stopped wearing her usual ninja outfit of red and blue, for a change to a loose white shirt and black shorts. Lately, she figured it was safer to be "someone else."

Ino frowned. She had never seen Sakura so down, but it wasn't unknown. During their fight in the Chuunin exam, it was evident that the pink haired Shinobi had her own inner demon. Who was to say she couldn't have a third part of her harboring this ongoing depression?

"Oh come on now forehead girl, I didn't mean for you to get _that_way!" Ino chuckled, overemphasizing her laughter.

However, it didn't raise a smile, or even a heated response from Sakura.

"Hmm," Sakura mumbled after a while, and stood.

Ino observed her friend quietly, looking up from the bench at where she sat. Sakura stared into the sky, then after a while, she smiled.

"Ino…"

However, to Ino, the dazed reaction was normal. Sakura was beside herself once more. The depression was getting worse, and it wasn't getting any easier. Sakura's parents had died in an ambush by some missing Nins the week before, and it was obvious she missed them greatly.

"Sakura…you wanna get some ramen or something?" Ino offered with a sigh.

She was clueless on what else to do, and she knew she couldn't leave Sakura alone.

'I…guess so," Sakura muttered, and stuck her hands into her pockets, kicking aimlessly at the sand.

Ino stood up abruptly, and put on a false smile in hopes to cheer Sakura. However, it was futile. Sakura stared out at the path before her as they made their way to Ichiraku. All of the chairs at the ramen stand were empty, and the whole place looked dismal.

"They look closed," Sakura sighed openly. "Thanks for the offer anyway."

She lifted her head, about to turn around when Ino grabbed her shoulders.

"SAKURA!"

There was an uproar of voices both, young and old. Sakura stared at the stand, now lighted and crazy with cheering. Everyone was there, including a jumping Naruto and a nervous Hinata holding up a sign with the words: KEEP FIGHTING SAKURA! -- in bold lettering.

Even Sasuke was there, sitting next to Rock Lee with his own bowl of pork ramen. He gave a small smile, and then looked away.

"Sakura, this is to celebrate you in hopes that you'll keep fighting always. I look forward to seeing you take the Chuunin exam again soon," Kakashi smiled, his visible eye crinkling slightly.

Sakura closed her eyes in defeat as she felt the gentle pressure of his hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she opened her mouth to form a response, but her words were stolen by Naruto's interruption.

"HEY! STOP LOOKING SO GLUM! THIS IS FOR YOU TO CHEER UP!" Naruto quickly disbanded the sign, leaving Hinata in his trail of dust.

Sakura stood in the way of his foreseeable bear hug, but didn't resist. Naruto only stopped when he felt no response. For a moment, the party was silent.

"Thank you all…" Sakura's voice was small. "But I…I won't be taking the Chuunin exam this year."

"What! What do you mean?" Rock Lee jumped from his seat and raced to Sakura, grasping her hand in his.

"Sakura, if you don't take the test this year that means you'll remain a Genin, and have to wait again. The competition could be much fiercer," Sasuke's voice was grave, serious.

Sakura met his gaze and swallowed hard. She nodded slowly in agreement.

"I know. I thank you all for this party, but I don't feel up to it."

"This is so stupid, Sakura! You're stronger than this!" Naruto raised his fist, threateningly towards no one in particular.

Kakashi took his hand and lowered it, his visible eye scanning Sakura soundly.

"It's her decision Naruto," he said softly, taking his eye off Sakura with a tone that told her she'd be hearing again from him.

"Sakura…I've never known you to remain so hopeless," Ino fumed. "I know it has to be so hard…but—

"—thanks again guys…Ino." Sakura smiled a sad smile, and took off in the other direction.

She walked with her head down, and was surprised when she saw Sasuke standing in her path.

"I'll walk with you," he said softly.

Sakura kept walking. He was paying her the attention she desired, but she knew it was only out of the lowest pity he could afford. She knew better. This was the teen that had just turned down a harmless dinner offer.

"Thank you," Sakura mustered, playing with the frayed edges of her shirt.

After a while, Sasuke broke the awkward silence.

"You intent on staying at this level?" he asked gruffly, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

Sakura groaned inwardly. She didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"I can't…" she sighed, and then stopped in her tracks. Sasuke continued walking for a few more steps, and then stopped ahead of her.

"We both know I'm nothing special Sasuke…kun," she fought out the honorific.

"You could do a lot better than just giving up," Sasuke lowered his eyes to the ground. Anything to avoid seeing the pain in her eyes.

"How… would you know?" Sakura said weakly, and pushed past, continuing her walk back home.

The house was cold and unwelcoming with no one inside. It only added to the empty feelings Sakura had grown accustomed to. Quietly, she slipped off her shoes at the front door, and headed to the kitchen With one hand steadily balanced on her hip, she pulled open the refrigerator, only to be greeted with the stale smell of old food. Avoiding the mess altogether, Sakura settled with a bowl of cold cereal.

The dry flakes swished from cheek to cheek in her mouth, settling in-between her teeth like chewy pieces of sand. They were stale as well. Unwittingly, she swallowed, and then set the bowl down on the table.

'_It's okay; I'll do some shopping tomorrow' _she thought, lying back against the leather seat cushions of the sofa.

'**You said that yesterday! Get up, cow!'** Inner Sakura shouted, giving Sakura a splitting headache.

'Leave me alone…'

'**Move your ass! Move your ass!'**

'Why won't anyone just leave me alone?'

'**Godammit! Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and get up!'**

Sakura's subconscious was winning a half-conscious battle. Slowly, she flexed her fingers, staring at the rough calluses there. They reminded her of someone she once was…someone she wasn't sure she ever wanted to be again.

"I'm up," Sakura mumbled, and shuffled to the door, but once again, the empty feeling settled in her heart, churned in her stomach, made her head spin.

"What's wrong with me?" Inner Sakura seemed to groan with Sakura, mind and body separating.

Groping for something to help her keep her balance, Sakura stumbled around the room, knocking a few books loose from their shelves. Everything was beginning to swirl, and she was cold, inside and out. It wasn't long before her vision went along with her sense of reality.

"I, I can't see!" she shrieked, bumping into what she thought was the couch. The shattering of glass was heard all through the house, and Sakura could smell the acrid sent of blood. Taste it…

She swooned, and fell to the ground with a thud.

'**Get up!'**

'**Come on!' **

'**What's going on!'**

'**Please Just…'**

'**My body!'**

'**Please get up!'

* * *

**

a/n: Ai oh! Very confusing, but next chapter, Sakura's condition /problem will be explained, and Gaara will come into play. It's my first Naruto fic, so I hope I'm doing at least decently…


	2. Inside Out

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter two: Inside out

* * *

He was filthy – clothes tattered and hanging limply off his thin frame. 

'_Hmph,' _he thought simply, shaking the grains of sand from his hair. His outward state didn't seem to concern him in the slightest.

Gaara crouched in front of the stream beside him, cupping his hands to catch water for a drink. He stopped halfway, staring at his reflection. With wet fingers, slick with mud and water, he slowly traced the kanji on his forehead. The memory, etched deep in his skin was covered loosely with strands of matted red.

Filthy.

It was a while before he moved again, pressing the cool liquid to his lips, drinking as if it were natural, as if he belonged there.

The truth was, he was running…afraid to face reality, and wandering as far away as he could from the monster within. It was a losing battle…a never ending journey.

"Shut up," he spat into the water, grains of sand filtering through his teeth.

Gaara's reflection stared him down, the same tired glare on his face.

Disgusting.

With one last sip of water, Gaara cleared his throat and stood. He didn't know how long he would keep running, but he was satisfied with where it got him so far.

Leaf village.

Gaara looked down. He thought he'd never come back, but somehow he knew that when you run away from pain, it always drags you back down.

It seemed the reality of his identity had sunk in. A cursed minion of the devil. Nothing more. Doomed to be loveless. Forevermore.

Crunch…

Crunch…

Crunch…

With every step, the crunch of leaves, grass and flowers sounded beneath Gaara's feet. He stared at the foliage, amazed. It was nothing like this in the sand village.

Gaara was drawn to a patch of flowers before him, scattered Sakura petals from crying trees. Swiftly, he took a good look in front and behind him before leaning down to gather them into his hands.

As he continued his walk, he scooped up more and more, tucking the few that made the cut into his pockets. He wanted those unblemished, with neither wilt nor tear.

But of course, it was then the scent of blood filled his nostrils.

"Ugh…" Gaara clasped his head suddenly, dropping the petals.

The smell, bold and metallic, kicked at him, bit at him until it was too much. He could feel the evil inside begging for release.

'**LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!'**

"Stop this…" Gaara muttered to himself, dragging himself closer and closer to the smell of blood.

It was calling him, but he had to keep a low profile.

Over the years…he had become a runner.

Over the years…he had become weak.

* * *

"You're so …you're pitiful," Inner Sakura growled, sitting on her haunches before her bleeding counterpart. 

Inner Sakura was bare, her long pink hair flowing down long enough to cover her breasts. She seemed angry, uncaring.

"Get up, Sakura get up and show the demons what you're made of!" Inner Sakura punched the wooden floorboards, leaving a fist shaped hole in one.

Sakura lay unconscious in her own blood, a large gash bleeding out from where she had hit her head moments before crashing to the floor.

"You're so pitiful! You can't do this!" Inner Sakura shouted in rage, creating two larger holes.

"Uuuuu…" Sakura suddenly groaned, rolling painfully on her side.

Inner Sakura, an exact copy of the girl before her stopped her ranting, and stared. Sakura quivered, but didn't show any sign of regaining balance.

"Sakura!"

He came fast, barreling through the forest, tearing down trees in his blaze of sand and shrapnel.

She never saw it coming.

Faster, and faster, he bounded through the trees, his eyes wide and filled with bloodlust.

"Damn flowers…they led me here!" he shouted at himself, tearing at his red tresses.

As hard as he tried, Gaara couldn't steer himself away. The blood and scent of sakuras mingling within was drawing him – heart and soul.

'_Being pulled…so hard it hurts. You can't turn away. You don't want to.'_

She never saw it coming.

Gaara launched himself from the ground and onto one of the houses in the leaf community. He landed roughly, breaking through to the floor beneath him.

A loud female shriek was heard, and then another resounding crash as a large chunk of ceiling cracked loose, falling on top of him.

The pain was nothing compared to that in his head. He clawed at his head once more and shoved the clutter off his body, crawling towards the pungent odor of blood.

Gaara's sand leeched itself from its gourd, slithering towards the large puddle forming around a mass of pink hair.

'_Pink hair?' _he thought. He had only seen one person with pink hair in his lifetime, and even that was four years ago.

* * *

"_If you think I'm the same cry-baby Sakura, then you'll be hurting!"_

"_This is…the end!"_

"_A beautiful flower." _

"_Didn't you know…? Women have to be tough to survive."_

"_ORAAAAAA!"_

"_NARUTO, YOU IDIOT!'_

"_Sasuke-kun, how 'bout a date?'_

'_This time…get a good look at my back.'

* * *

_

"Her?" Gaara shook his head, glaring, and grabbed her wrist aggressively.

"Ah…no…" she whimpered, dazed, unable to see Gaara's face in the fog of smoke.

'**Her pulse is weak…and I haven't feasted in awhile. KILL HER NOW!'** Shukaku growled from within, sending a surge of pain through Gaara's head.

Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.

He gripped her hand tighter, harder, until the flesh turned a ghastly pale white. He couldn't help feel excited amidst the pain and confusion. The smell of her blood and the last warmth of her skin were intoxicating.

"Haruno Sakura…I will be the end of you," he whispered, and let his sand engulf her body.

It was then the sand cleared, revealing another girl in the room. His defense dropped suddenly, and he released his hold on Sakura's arm, his eyes darting from the body on the floor, to the young woman standing before him. He was sure they were the same person.

'_A Bunshin no jutsu? While she's unconscious! What is this?'_

"The only person here who will face an end…" the girl started, her eyes shaded by bubblegum pink bangs.

Gaara frowned. Sakura's barely conscious form mouthed the words as the girl in front of him.

"…IS YOU!"

There was a sudden burst of chakra that knocked down several bookshelves, and overturned a couch. Gaara still remained in his crouched position, angered and disbelieving.

'I am her…she is me…we are one!" Inner Sakura shouted, throwing a punch at Gaara.

Gaara stood his ground, his sand shield springing into action. However, Inner Sakura grinned. Her hand passed through the stiff shield and made a firm connection with his jaw. Gaara went flying backward through the wall of Sakura's house, tumbling over himself. The gourd strapped tightly to his back made a make-shift "cushion."

'_This is not the girl I saw at the Chuunin exams…she…she hit me. She has too much chakra!'_

Quickly, Gaara cleared his scattered mind and stood.

"Haruno?" he growled.

Inner Sakura stood in the wreckage shaped as large hole in the wall, unashamed of her exposure. Gaara seemed to pay no need, uninterested.

"Sakura…" Inner Sakura finished, sweeping the bangs from her forehead.

She became a spitting image of Haruno, apart from the messy kanji scribbled across her head in the form of permanent etchings.

'**IT'S NO MATTER. I'LL KILL YOU ANYWAY!'**

"It's no matter. I'll kill you anyway..." Gaara fisted his hair with one hand, groaning.

Inner Sakura stood her ground, and pumped a chakra imbibed fist into the air.

"Like hell you will!" she shouted, and ran for him without another thought. "You—

Inside, Sakura's body stirred again.

"Like hell you will…" she whispered weakly, her fist launched into the air. "You… bastard…"

* * *

A/N: Whew, sorry for the long wait, but here it is. Chapter two! Thanks guys for the positive reviews from last chapter. You're really keeping me going. I love GaaraxSakura, so expect more from me in the future! Read, Enjoy, and Review! 


	3. Bloodlust

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter three: Bloodlust

* * *

"I'm worried for Sakura. Shouldn't we go check on her or something?" Naruto sighed, poking around his ramen with his chopsticks. 

Kakashi gave him his full attention, surprised that Naruto had lost his appetite so easily.

"She needs time," Sasuke frowned, but Kakashi could see he was tense from the lethal grip he kept on his chopsticks.

Naruto growled, and slammed his fist on the table, but Kakashi readily covered it with his hand. Slowly, he let his uncovered eye scan the distance between Naruto and Sasuke, and then stood.

"We'll go and see Sakura, but let's just not mention the Chuunin exams, or her current state," he said smoothly, and set down enough yen to cover the bill before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other angrily, and then followed suit.

* * *

"Naruto…Sasuke…." Sakura whispered, slowly regaining consciousness. 

Carefully, she brought herself to her knees and blinked open her blood crusted eyes to see. Breathless, she gasped at what she saw before her. The sight of Gaara sent a shiver down her spine.

_Isn't he supposed to be in the sand village? Isn't he supposed to be…Kazekage?_

"It…it couldn't be…" she choked on her own saliva as she stood, wavering towards the hole blasted through the side of her house.

'_I can see it in his eyes. He's lost control of the demon within him…even after Chiyo gave—_

Sakura stopped thinking at what she saw next. It was her. Her body fighting against Gaara, and doing quite well. However, it wasn't right at all. Everything was the same except for the fury and coldness in her eyes. Sakura touched the bleeding wound on her head, feeling empty.

"It's the inner me…" she whispered, knowing the fighter well enough.

Gaara sent forth a blast of sand into the house and Sakura used her remaining amount of chakra to jump out of the way. Things were slowly getting hazy as she moved around.

"Go away!" Inner Sakura shouted suddenly, and cast a glance back at Sakura.

Scared and confused, Sakura shrank back, but Gaara had the chance to see her. His eyes, dark rimmed and his face covered with sand frightened her.

"Leaf and sand….we're allies," she whispered.

It was all she could muster in the time of crisis. One of her biggest secrets had already been unveiled…and to an almost enemy. She was exposed.

Gaara closed his eyes suddenly, and wiped a trail of blood from his lips with narrowed eyes.

"Stay out of my way, demon," he glared.

Sakura wandered outside towards her inner counterpart, speechless. Inner Sakura put her hands on her hips angrily, and stared her down.

"Please…don't. Not like this," Sakura said softly.

Gaara raised an eyebrow in confusion and watched as Inner Sakura seemed to give in. Sakura wrapped her arms around the fiery doppelganger, and their bodies melded together in a blue chakra glow.

"She's not a demon," Sakura protested weakly.

"Pft," Gaara tried to sound uncaring, but there was utter confusion in his eyes.

There was a long silence, and Sakura wavered in her stance.

"Shouldn't you be in SUuuuu….?" She started, but was unable to finish as she collapsed in Gaara's wave of sand.

Against his mind's wishes, his gourd had thrown out a net for her safety. Alarmed, he dropped her. Shukaku NEVER protected with the heart. It was only with necessity, and only for his own good.

Sakura lay sprawled out on the ground, inner Sakura hovering over her in a dangerous haze. Sakura's words of warning were the only things holding her back from another battle. Sakura's forehead wound had healed itself miraculously, and she remained mostly unscathed.

"Haruno," Gaara growled distastefully, and with a whirlwind of sand, blew himself away.

It was then that three puffs of smoke appeared in the distance in front of Sakura's house. Naruto was first, running towards the wreckage.

"SAKURA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN!" he called, searching from room to room.

Sasuke's lips were set in a firm line, but his eyes were narrowed in distaste. Kakashi headed for the hole in Sakura's side wall, and found her lying lifeless on the ground.

"Sakura…" he growled, his visible eye crinkling in anger.

Sasuke bent near her body, and observed the covering of sand around the land. He tensed, and backed up as Naruto came barreling past.

"NO! NO! NO!" He shouted, shaking Sakura's shoulder vigorously.

Sasuke gave Naruto a kick to the face, frowning. The yellow haired ninja rolled over on the ground, his eyes filled with tears.

"Get a grip," Sasuke warned.

Naruto sprung to his feet to retaliate, but Kakashi was quick to separate the two.

"She's not dead Naruto, calm down. Sakura's only in a deep state of unconsciousness, she'll wake up in time. Right now, why don't you bring her inside and make her comfortable?" he smiled to ease the mood.

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets, and turned away from Naruto. He knew better than anyone that something terribly wrong had gone down with Sakura, and she wouldn't be okay when she woke. No amount of pillow fluffing would fix that.

Once again, Sasuke sifted his hand through the sand, and could smell the blood mixed in with every granule.

'_All this sand….it has to be him…'_

"Y-yes Kakashi-sensei. I'll stay by her side until she wakes up," Naruto lifted Sakura carefully, and helped her into the house.

A silence settled between Kakashi and Sasuke that made Sasuke uncomfortable.

"You must be thinking the same thing I am," Kakashi started. "The sand…"

"It's Gaara's trademark," Sasuke growled, low and soft.

Kakashi took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of old blood, mixed with Sakura's new.

"Yes…Gaara," he frowned.

"It couldn't be though…right? He's Kazekage. He's in Suna…right?" Sasuke's voice was getting slightly weary as he spoke.

Kakashi sighed deeply, lost in thought.

"We received word three days ago that Gaara had abandoned his post. We never—

"—Gaara!" Naruto shouted from the hole in the side wall of Sakura's house.

Furious, Naruto came running, and launched a punch at Kakashi, that he easily caught in his hand. Sasuke stared at Kakashi, waiting for him to continue.

"WHAT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR ANBU BUDDIES! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO SOMETHING! WHY DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!" Naruto snapped, his eyes blazing.

"Gaara was Kazekage... he had turned himself around. For the most part, we assumed his leave of absence was necessary, but after the first day, we realized no papers had been filed. Even Temari and Kankuro were unaware of his leave. At this point, we're treating the situation as if Gaara is a missing nin. We're doing this as discretely as possible, but once we capture him—

"—you'd better beat that bastard's head in with his own fucking gourd!" Naruto shouted suddenly.

"Naruto…" Kakashi chided, and Naruto softened slightly. "We don't know exactly what occurred here. There will be questioning, and once Sakura wakes; we can hear her own account. Trust me; things will be taken care of."

"How sure are you?" Sasuke popped in before Naruto had a chance to react.

Kakashi looked at him with understanding. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Sasuke cared for Sakura just as they did…maybe more.

"I swear it," Kakashi said firmly.

Naruto clenched his fists in anger, but restrained himself from another outburst.

"There's blood all over the place in there, and the roof's ruined," he said solemnly. "I can take her home with me until it's fixed."

Something went off in Sasuke's brain, and he frowned.

"No. She'll stay with me," he protested. "At least my place is clean."

Naruto fumed.

"Kakashi-sensei!" He snarled.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for her to stay with any of us. She'll stay with Ino, and that's the end of it," Kakashi said firmly, and lead the way back into Sakura's house.

Sasuke blushed faintly, and shoved his hands back into his pockets, following behind Kakashi. Naruto raced to catch up, and was first to see Sakura stir on the couch in the living room. It was the only thing that wasn't covered in rubble and dust.

Slowly, she parted her blood crusted lips to speak.

"Ga…" she moaned the syllable.

Kakashi brushed the hair from her face and shoulders, inspecting for wounds. It was futile. Her body was covered in scratches and bruises, but nothing serious.

'_Then where did all this blood come from?' _he thought restlessly.

"Ga…" she moaned again.

Naruto latched onto Sakura's hand, and listened carefully.

"She's trying to say Gaara! I know it!" he shouted.

"Shh!" Sasuke ordered, and watched Sakura's eyes crack open, fixed on Kakashi.

"Do you see her?" she whispered, forlorn.

"See who, Sakura?" Kakashi looked around him carefully.

Sakura mustered up enough strength to sit up, and touched her forehead gingerly.

"Inner Sakura…she…healed me," she croaked.

"WHAT? What are you talking about Sakura? Did Gaara—

"—Gaara!" she gasped. "He-he was…I…**_she_** couldn't stop him."

"She?" Naruto snapped.

"Inner Sakura…" Kakashi repeated.

"Who is inner Sakura?" Sasuke shook his head in confusion.

"I remember in her fight with Ino…there was a distinct separation of her soul into good and evil…the evil must be her…inner Sakura."

Sasuke was silent, contemplating what he had just heard. There had been many a time that he had witness Sakura's power struggle, but he blew it off. He never realized…

"So, she can split in two?" Naruto asked, staring at Sakura.

"I didn't mean for it to happen…I was just so…mad at myself and…**_she_**…came out," Sakura groaned hopelessly.

"You should see Tsunade," Kakashi suggested, but Sakura stood up in protest.

She wobbled slightly, but stood her ground.

"I'll…I'll be fine. I just need to rest. It was a one time thing and I'm okay," she smiled weakly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and turned away, walking out without another word.

"What about Gaara?" Naruto pressed.

Sakura felt a pang of hurt in her heart, and her eyes deepened in their shade of green.

"Gaara!" she growled, clawing at the couch.

"Naruto, leave now," Kakashi ordered. Naruto stared at Sakura in shock.

"Is this inner Sakura!" he shouted, refusing to leave. Naruto shook Sakura's shoulder in anger.

Sakura pulled at her hair wildly, seemingly trying to control the demon inside her, but it was becoming of no use. There was a blast of blue chakra that brought back Sakura's head wound, and caused her to thrash.

"Naruto! GO NOW!" Kakashi shoved the blonde out the hole in the wall, and bit his finger, drawing blood.

As quickly as possible, he held Sakura down and drew symbols over her skin and floor in his blood. Before Inner Sakura could separate, Kakashi formed a one-handed seal, and pressed two fingers on Sakura's forehead.

"EVIL SEALING METHOD!" he shouted, and the lines of blood rushed from all over the room towards her forehead. Sakura fell forward onto the couch, passing out once more.

* * *

A/N: Takes deep breath Okay, so Sakura and Inner Sakura are splitting apart, and right now, Kakashi's the only one who's realizing just how dangerous that part of her can be. He attempts the seal but…who knows what can happen next? Especially with Gaara waiting in the wings for another rematch. Don't worry, romance won't be far behind! Hope you enjoy! Read and review! 


	4. Hurt

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter four: Hurt

* * *

She woke slowly, a foggy haze surrounding her, restricting much movement. Her eyes opened first, adjusting to the bright lights and familiar look of her room. Tsunade was leaning over her, shining a light into her eyes. 

"Awake now, are you?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

Sakura groaned softly, and pushed herself up into a sitting position. However, she almost doubled over from the splitting pain in her forehead.

"Tsunade I…" Sakura clenched her fist. "It's not what you think."

"There's an evil presence within you. I'm assuming you already know that, though." The older woman narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"It's just…a…haven't you ever heard of a split personality? Well, that's it!" Sakura forced a laugh, hurting every time she chuckled.

"Don't give me that crap. Since the moment I met you I could read you, Sakura. And now, in your weakened state, the words are written all over your face. You need help."

"Weakened state! Help!" Sakura burst out suddenly, her eyes deepening in their green color.

"This what Kakashi spoke of…" Tsunade eyed Sakura carefully for a moment, watching her struggle to control the power within.

"It's not a demon…and it's more than a split personality. It's you. Years of feeling inferior have finally taken their toll. It's a mental breakdown," Tsunade licked her thumb, and rubbed the seal from Sakura's forehead.

"No! I'm-I'm normal!" Sakura cried, pulling at her hair. "I'm not…I'm not inferior."

"This spirit inside of you that you've always been containing. It's more than subconscious. It's like Naruto's Kyuubi, but not nearly to that great of an extent. It's the fight and the anger inside you that you never bothered to control.

Tears rolled down Sakura's cheeks at hearing the truth, but she shook her head in denial.

"I can control this. I'll prove once and for all that I'm not weak!" she cried out.

Tsunade stood silently, waiting until the fit died down.

"There's nothing I can do for you right now Sakura. A seal isn't going to keep this in. Only you can fight it," she said firmly.

Sakura stumbled to her feet, snarling.

"I don't need help. I don't need anyone," she sniffled.

Tsunade grabbed her by the shoulder at the last moment.

"Sakura. Don't be stupid. Get into bed until this passes for today. What you need now is rest," Tsunade was stern, and Sakura knew better than to overstep her bounds. However, Inner Sakura couldn't have cared less.

"Step out of my way!" She snapped, flying past before Tsunade could grab her.

'_That speed!' _Tsunade whizzed around to see Sakura bolt past Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke in the waiting room.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled, darting after her immediately.

Kakashi and Sasuke followed closely behind.

'_The last thing I want is for anyone to follow me. I don't need them to worry about me! I can be as strong as I want to be! I know!'_

Sakura's pace slowed as she fought off her inner Sakura. However, the fire still smoldered within, giving her a slight boost in speed.

"Why am I running?" she whispered to herself, thinking of Tsunade, Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke.

They had all tried to help her, and she had just pushed away.

"I should—GAAAHHH!" Sakura cried out as she felt several tendrils of sand shoot out of the trees, engulfing her.

Sakura panicked, giving inner Sakura a vantage point.

"**Oh no you don't!"** she cried, whirling around to see a stone faced Gaara on the forest floor, set on reeling her in.

"Stop moving or I'll kill you," he warned in monotone, narrowing his eyes.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, afraid of dying, and shook her head rapidly to clear her thoughts. It was hard. Inner Sakura had a hold on her, and she wanted to break free.

'_I'll let you go if you stop fighting!'_ Sakura thought quickly, trying to connect with her angered spirit.

'_**Why the hell should I! He's trying to hurt us, and you're still playing damsel in distress!'**_

'_Please, Sakura! Listen it's me……..Sakura! We ARE one. Just trust me!'_

'_**I can't trust you! You've kept me locked up forever, afraid!'**_

'_I know! I know I was afraid!'_

The brief distraction allowed Gaara to yank sakura to him, letting her drop in a heap at his feet. He watched her inner struggle die down, and Sakura's eyes dull back to their original shade of green. Her face was dotted with sand where it stuck to the tears on her cheeks.

"Kazekage-sama…" she whimpered. "What do you want with me?"

Gaara stared her down for the longest time, his eyes cold and his stare penetrating. Sakura shivered under his gaze and tried not to look at his face. There was a bruise on his cheek from where she had struck him before while Inner Sakura was in control.

"This thing inside you…" he growled.

Sakura looked up in alarm, but noticed Gaara had turned away.

"**You don't need to know about me…"** Inner Sakura said darkly, and her voice sparked Gaara's interest once more.

Carefully, he knelt in front of Sakura, and took note of her darkened eye color. He could feel even in the air a change from positive to negative chakra.

"I demand you tell me how you control so much anger, woman," Gaara snapped maliciously.

Sakura gasped, and scampered backward a bit before smashing her side against a tree. Gaara followed her step for step, the anger within him building.

"If you try to get away from me, I'll only…k…" he struggled on the last word. "I'll ki…."

"**So the bastard can't do it, huh? You've gone and turned yourself into a bloody pacifist…."**

Sakura's eyes went wide with shock, and she covered her mouth in an attempt to restrain Inner Sakura. However, it was no use. With a nauseating pull, they were separated once more, and Inner Sakura was making her way towards Gaara.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, woman. I want what I want, so answer me!" He shouted, and a rope of sand lunged for Sakura.

Inner Sakura stood in font of it, and blocked the sand from reaching her.

"Kazekage-sama, please believe me. I have little restraint over her…she's my pent up emotions and I…I can barely control it…" Sakura lowered her head in defeat, but Gaara still had fire in his eyes.

"You're nothing but…" he started; bust paused to groan in pain.

There were a series of lines of cracked sand breaking out on his face that caused Sakura to reel back in fear.

"You're nothing but an annoyance. How could I ever have thought you would be good for something?" he managed to grunt, and disappeared in a flurry of dust and sand.

Inner Sakura stood firmly, and looked back at Sakura.

"**I had that guy right where I wanted him until you started jabbering," **she snapped, her fist raised.

"Gaara-sama is Kazekage. Disrespectful behavior towards him could prove disastrous for this village," Sakura responded weakly, and hid her face.

The real reason was that she was scared out of her mind of Gaara. Ever since he had attempted to hurt her so long ago, she couldn't see him as an ally.

Inner Sakura scoffed, and turned her back on her weaker counterpart.

"**What was that look in his eyes….and those ugly marks on his face?" **she asked.

Sakura crossed her arms against her chest, tears glistening on her pale cheeks.

"I'd only ever seen it once…when he almost….killed me," she whispered. "He was overtaken by Shukaku…his inner demon."

"**A demon huh?"**

"But, it's impossible for him to still have it. Chiyo gave her life to do away with Shukaku. It has to be stronger than ever now…and he wanted me to help him control it."

"**You?"**

"He must have thought I—

"—Sakura-chan! Don't move!" Naruto yelled suddenly from the tree above her.

Sakura whirled around at the last moment, only to see Inner Sakura just barely dodge a large shiruken thrown her way by Sasuke. At this, she took the advantage to rejoin Sakura's body.

"Naruto…Sasuke…Kakashi…" Sakura stood weakly and confronted the trio.

Naruto embraced her before she could move again.

"Sakura! You have to stay put! You're not well!"

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets, attempting to look unconcerned.

"So that was Inner Sakura," he muttered, satisfied. "She's you."

"No duh, Sasuke!" Naruto snapped, and held onto Sakura tightly.

Tiredly, Sakura removed Naruto's hands, and moved towards Kakashi. He observed her carefully through one eye.

"Sakura, the best thing for you at this moment is to stay at home and prepare yourself mentally to deal with this. At least until some kind of seal—

"—Tsunade said a seal wouldn't be effective. They're my emotions after all. It'd make me…"

'_Like I was before…' _

"…depressed," Sakura finished and feigned a smile that Sasuke easily saw through.

"Sabaku no Gaara was here as well, wasn't he?" he pointed at the unnatural collection of sand on the ground.

Sakura nodded hesitantly, and her smile faded.

"It seems Shukaku is fighting for control within him once more. When he saw me…he thought _Sakura_ was a demon. He thought I could help him."

"Are you absolutely sure that's all he wanted, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura hesitated once more, and put a hand to her forehead. She was getting another headache.

"I…I think. He looked desperate."

Naruto ground his teeth in disbelief.

"This is…unbelievable, Sakura-chan! What if he hurt you or something!"

Inner Sakura chuckled. Sasuke focused his eyes on Sakura, her body being wracked with spasms.

"**The bastard's turned soft. He can't lay a finger on me. Not again."

* * *

**

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews. I'm sorry for taking so long to update. Anyway, read and review again please! I hope you enjoy!


	5. The Seven Scrolls

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter five: The Seven Scrolls

* * *

Gaara dunked his head in the river water and drew up for breath, sneering at his reflection. He hated it, but the re was always some sick satisfaction that brought him to stare. To observe the monster he had become once more. 

Breathing heavily, Gaara touched the water's surface with his fingertips, swirling one over the reflection of his "tattoo", and then tracing his mouth, set in a tight line. Rivulets of water ran down his cheeks, creating the illusion of tears. It annoyed Gaara, but he let them run, somewhat curious.

He had never really cared about the way he looked. It didn't matter to him, and he didn't care if it mattered to anyone else. As he stared at his reflection, he frowned.

Grains of sand ran down along with the water, revealing to him exactly how dirty he really was. With a sigh, Gaara prepared himself for complete submersion. Sounding off ten seconds in his head, he pushed forward from the rock formation and threw his body into the river, clothes and all. Around his body the water turned a dingy red until the current swept it away.

Without spending more than five more seconds in the water, Gaara dragged himself out and threw himself down against the ground. He was exhausted. Shukaku had taken a great deal of energy out of him in the fight with inner Sakura.

Gaara grimaced as he thought of her.

"Weak little…" he started, and then scolded himself.

'**Don't curse her for your insolence, you little idiot. You'll never be rid of me.'**

"Leave me alone…" Gaara growled, mustering the strength to bring himself to his feet.

All around him, the forest seemed to darken, and not just with night. The evil inside him was digging deeper roots, longing for control. Gaara's eyes widened in shock, and he was thrown to the ground. A swirl of sand from his own gourd latched itself around his neck, and squeezed tightly.

"H-how? M-mother? D-demon?"

'**Watch yourself boy…or you'll be hurting more than this when I get my claws into you.'**

Shukaku suddenly released its hold, and Gaara floundered, gasping for air. Angrily, he unlatched the sand gourd form his back, and threw it into the dirt.

'_This evil is stronger than ever now! I must force Haruno to do something about this!'_

Gaara hissed mentally, his body dripping with water and covered in clumps of offending sand.

"Haruno…" he muttered to himself, wondering why he even placed so much hope into the weak girl.

He shook his head, and stared at the sand beneath his body. Sakura had the same kind of problem as him, and with her medical training from the fifth hokage, she had to be of some use. Even if she was weak, he needed a permanent solution, and he needed one fast.

Gaara was being torn apart from the inside out, and even though he thought he'd rather die first, he came to the conclusion that he'd do anything it took to rid himself of Shukaku. Even beg. So wearily, he strapped his sand gourd onto his back, and took off, chasing Sakura's scent. Blood, sweat and tears.

* * *

"WHAT!" Ino's voice rang out all through Konoha village. 

Kakashi stood unmoved.

"You're her friend. Let her stay with you a while until her house is fixed," he lowered the Icha-Icha Paradise book from his face and stared at the young woman with his one visible eye.

"It-it's not convenient! I mean, Shikamaru-kun just moved in with me!" Ino smiled dreamily before putting back on her game face. "Can't she just stay with you?"

Kakashi sighed inwardly.

"It would be inappropriate for her to stay with me, and to tell you the truth, I can't trust Naruto or Sasuke to watch over her without getting heated. Sasuke's too coldhearted and Naruto's too careless," he admitted with a lighthearted smile.

Ino put a hand to her temple in thought.

"There's an empty apartment by the edge of the woods. It'd give her enough solitude to get her mental game together…" Ino suggested with a smile. "…You know…I don't mean to sound obnoxious. I want her to get better. I really do."

Kakashi gave her a smile, and patted her on the head.

"Thanks for your concern, Ino. I'll look into it," he said quietly before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

He reappeared in Sakura's dilapidated house, staring down at Sakura, curled up on the couch. Naruto was passed out next to her, while Sasuke watched over them both.

"Did you find housing?" he asked monotonously.

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck with a smile.

"I suppose. Ino isn't exactly willing, so she recommended a solo apartment."

Sasuke gave Sakura's sleeping form a closer look, and watched as she fisted the bed sheets in her sleep.

"Then that means she'll need some sort of protection in this state," he warned.

Kakashi smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry Sasuke; she'll be fine for now. The last thing we want her to do is makes Sakura think we consider her unable to care for herself. Feelings of insecurity seem to trigger the inner "demon." From time to time you and Naruto may check in on her."

Sasuke nodded reluctantly, and then turned back to Kakashi.

"What about Gaara?" he asked sternly.

Naruto's ears twitched slightly in his "sleep," and he huddled closer to Sakura.

"No sight of him yet," Kakashi sighed.

Sasuke clenched his fists and looked about to make another comment when Sakura stirred, rubbing her eyes with her wrists.

"Oh, I fell asleep. S-sorry Kakashi-sensei…" she smiled weakly. "Hm…is something the matter?"

Sakura asked, her cheeks still dusted with sand. Naruto "woke" next to her, pretending to yawn and scratch his head.

"No, nothing's wrong Sakura…" Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi nodded in response. "We're just glad to have found you housing," he announced with a broad smile. "Sasuke will escort you."

Sasuke looked up in shock, and Naruto frowned deeply.

Sakura stood up shakily and then dusted her shorts off.

"Thank you Sasuke……" her response was drawn out, leaving off the affectionate 'kun' from years before.

The room fell silent for a while, but Sasuke pretended not to notice.

"Let's go," he grunted, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Kakashi waved them off at the door.

"It's number thirty-seven near the edge of the housing district. Take care," he grabbed Naruto's arm at the last moment, and poofed off in a wisp of smoke.

"Do you think you can keep up, or do I have to carry you?" Sasuke asked coldly as usual.

Sakura tested her scratched and bruised legs.

'_Damn, they're killing me. I won't be able to go fast…but I can't let him know I'm weak.'_

"I'll be okay!" she grinned, but faltered as Sasuke shot her a disbelieving look.

Quickly, she turned her head and waited until he started off towards the sunset. At that moment, his moves seemed especially quick and caused Sakura to trip over herself just to keep up. She had to revert to using her hands and feet to be able to keep a firm enough hold on the tree branches.

"Down a couple more feet and we'll be there!" Sasuke shouted back, but the call fell on deaf ears.

Sakura stopped abruptly, and wobbled on her branch.

'_Ugh…I think I'm gonna…fall…'_

'_**Ugh! Let me take over, weakling!'**_

'_No! Don-_

"**Too late…."** Inner Sakura growled inwardly, and surrounded herself with the same shocking blue chakra.

Immediately, she was on Sasuke's tail, her nails turning sharp and ripping up tree bark as she ran faster and faster. Sasuke sensed the change in chakra and looked back, startled. Inner Sakura grinned evilly, and knocked him from his branch.

"Sakura!" He shouted, taken aback. Quickly, he regained his balance, and locked her in his sights.

They were only a few feet away from the apartment, and all he needed to do was get her there to settle down. And the only way to do that was to **take her down.**

"Where do you think you're going? There's nowhere here to run!" He shouted, and lunged for her back.

Inner Sakura just barely dodged, slamming into another tree nearby. With a brief shake of her head, she started off again.

'_She shakes off the pain so easily. Inner Sakura has no sense of pain… but Sakura is going to feel it.'_

Sasuke growled.

'_I can't use any major attacks or I'll hurt her. I have to think fast. Faster than her!'_

Once more, Sasuke lunged, this time grabbing Inner Sakura before she could slip away. They both tumbled downward from the tree, Sasuke's body taking most of the fall. Inner Sakura struggled for a good ten minutes before stopping abruptly, leaving a whimpering Sakura in his hold.

"I'm sorry Sasuke….sorry. So sorry..."she panted, easing herself from his arms.

Sasuke took a deep breath, and shook his head. Slowly, he brought himself and Sakura to their feet, and sighed.

"Work this out…" he said firmly.

Sakura hung her head in defeat. "I'm trying as hard as—

"—fix yourself and do it fast," Sasuke cut her off once more, but there wasn't anger in his eyes, it was more like…concern.

"Sasuke….I can't."

"That's the whole reason you're failing! Because you believe you can't! No one gets anywhere by not believing in themselves, got it? You got this way by thinking you were inferior, so change your behavior! Step up for once!" Sasuke shouted, pushing her up against the apartment door.

"I...I—

"—don't you understand this is about your life? If you allow this thing to take over…you'll be merely a shell of what you once were! I can see it happening already Sakura! You simply cannot let it continue!" he hissed.

Sakura sobbed softly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"That's what you do…cry at every sign of weakness…" he started. "You've got to stop it. For your own sake Sakura…." He inched closer, their lips deathly close. "I can't lose you to this…"

Their breath mingled for a moment, before Sasuke's lips came down on hers, hard and fast. Sakura broke away, flushed and embarrassed. It was what she had been waiting for all her life…but at her moment of distress, it felt all wrong.

Quivering, Sasuke placed a hand on her cheek, and then stared down at her, glaring almost. It made him mad to see her in such a state.

"I know _he_ wants to hurt you…" Sasuke gestured at the sand on her skin. "But that won't happen as long as I'm around. I'll do anything to protect what's mine."

Sakura opened her mouth to respond, but was met only with a puff of smoke.

'_That's just like Sasuke…' _she thought, sniveling. _'Always leaving with a piece of your heart…'_

Almost falling over, Sakura made it inside. Immediately, she headed for the bathroom, uninterested in looking around. However, as soon as she began to run the water, an idea blossomed in her head.

Tsunade had once spoke of seven special scrolls that were especially for medicinal sealing and extraction. That included mental issues. If she could get her hands on them…maybe she would have a chance at conquering Inner Sakura once and for all.

However…

* * *

_Sakura took a duster to one of the shelves in Tsunade's office quietly, intent on snooping around. The fifth was a fine teacher, bust Sakura wanted to learn more. With white eyes, she lowered a large bundle of scrolls from the shelf, but her eyes settled on the largest one containing seven huge scrolls. _

"_Whoa…" she whispered, and grinned greedily, about to open the scrolls. However when she did, they were completely blank. "Huh?"_

"_Hmph…those are special scrolls Sakura. You must use chakra to reveal their secrets," Tsunade appeared over her shoulder, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth._

_Sakura blushed and stepped back, embarrassed._

"_Em…um…you're awake…huh?"_

"_Oh yeah." Tsunade whisked the scrolls from the hands of her apprentice, and lined them back up on the shelf. _

"_W-what are those for, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked quickly. _

"_They are the seven scrolls of medicinal sealing and extraction. They are made especially for sealing evil that affects the mind's normal state," Tsunade stole the duster from Sakura, and finished the cleaning herself._

"_So…they could…seal a demon?" Sakura asked meekly, deep in thought. _

_Tsunade eyed her knowingly._

"_It depends. If the demon is one that threatens the mental state of its prey…then yes. But…you must never attempt to use these, Sakura," Tsunade warned. Sakura turned red once more._

"_W-why would I? I have no use for them."_

"_Naruto cannot be healed this way. I know you're concerned, but his demon is already sealed, and cannot be expelled with these scrolls."_

_Sakura nodded weakly._

"_I…I know now, Tsunade-sama."_

"_They are also very complex. You wouldn't be able to handle the power…it's very dangerous. I need to know you'll never, ever touch them…alright?"_

_Sakura paused for a long while before answering._

"_Yes…you have my word, Tsunade-sama. You have my word."

* * *

_

Sakura awoke from her daydream, and clenched her fists in frustration.

"Forget Tsunade! I can do this by myself! I will do it by myself!" She yelled, kicking at the side wall.

"**Not if I have anything to say about it…"**

Sakura calmed herself immediately, and dropped the note.

"I…I'll do it all by myself. You'll all see," she snapped. "I swear it"

* * *

Gaara pressed his nose to the leaves in the trees, his inner demon picking up the smell of fear hidden amongst the familiar smell of blood and sweat. 

"It has to be her…" he muttered, and headed towards the edge of the forest as quickly as he could manage.

Shukaku stirred with in him, fighting and growling in anger.

'_**You're trying to find her! Why!"**_

'_I don't need this. Go away!'_

'_**You son of a bitch…'**_

'_I SAID GO AWAY!'_

'**_You can't just will me away fool…and she can't help you. She already said so herself! Give it up and let me take over!'_**

Gaara ran himself intentionally into a tree, and scrambled his thoughts enough to move on.

It was strange to for him to be this far out, and wondered about Sakura's relocation. It was probably some sort of ridiculous precaution imposed by her "friends." Almost instantly, the hairs on the back of his neck pricked up as he felt her presence.

Quietly, he stepped around to the side of the seemingly vacant apartment and did a sweep to make sure of her scent. It was her. Most definitely.

He watched her though the window. She was seemingly talking with herself in a way that looked utterly ridiculous. At first he thought it was another struggle with her own demon, but she seemed far too relaxed.

"…I swear it." she whispered, and Gaara leaned closer to the crack in her windowpane.

He let loose some of the sand from his gourd. It slid up the side of the walls quietly, and leeched itself underneath the windowpane just as Sakura was beginning to remove her shirt in front of the bath.

The window snapped up as the sand found its way inside, and Gaara made his entrance. He found a slight amusement in her reaction, knowing she must have found it tiring to see him so many times in one day. However, a part of him was longing to destroy her looking so weak in his presence. It truly irked him.

"Kazekage-sama…it…I…how did you find me?" Sakura stumbled over her words, and hugged herself tightly.

Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and backed up to lean against the wall. For a while, he was silent, observing her for a long while before speaking.

"I'm thinking about killing you…" he muttered, his voice a calm yet chilling rumble.

Sakura's eyes went wide with fright, and she nearly fell backward into the bathtub.

"How your blood would feel…even…taste," he said flatly. "I thought I was over that…but seeing that you're so weak…so vulnerable…so pathetic…"

Suddenly, Sakura felt his words strike a nerve. Immediately, she grabbed at her head, groaning.

"Stop…Kazekage-sama…"

"No…you stop. Stop calling me that when you know you have no respect for me. Like all the others…you fear me!" Gaara shouted, and sand lashed out from his gourd, enveloping Sakura, crushing her slowly.

"Kaze…Kazekage…" Sakura's hands fell limp, and Gaara watched as Inner Sakura struggled to pull away from her form.

However, it was obvious that Sakura was still fighting. She refused to let her have complete control again.

"Gah!" Sakura let out a cry of anguish, tears streaming her cheeks.

Finally, Gaara let her drop, and it became easier for her to regain her control. Looking at her, he was finally satisfied to see _her_ writhing in pain…to see _her_ suffering.

"I…I'm not asking you. I'm telling you to help me," Gaara fumed.

Sakura stared up at him, sniveling.

"I know you need help Kazekage-sama…but I can't supply you with any. I'm not—

Gaara threw the book at her head viciously, and then stopped it with his sand, almost….regretful. Slowly, he lowered the book to the floor and stepped back.

"You're intending to try to cure yourself…am I right?" I grumbled.

Sakura wrung her hands, and nodded.

"Then you need to help me as well. I demand that you help me!" he slammed his fist on the table.

Sakura clenched her fists, and stared him straight in the eyes. They were so filled with anger…with hurt and hunger…

"Why?" she asked boldly.

'**_That's right Sakura…write him off and let me break him in two!'_**

Gaara looked up, surprised at her audacity.

"What…what do I owe you?" Sakura's tone was icy, and she let her bangs shade her teary eyes.

Gaara remained silent, slinking into a corner of the bathroom, shrouded halfway in darkness.

"I need this…" his voice was softer, almost desperate sounding.

Sakura lifted her head suddenly, and remembered.

'_Medical seals and jutsus…I…I have to help him. I can't just turn him away.'_

'_**What! This bloodthirsty killer!'**_

'_He's changed…'_

"I'm putting my trust in you Kazekage-sama," Sakura started shakily. "I'll help you…as long as you promise to never use your sand to hurt someone ever again."

"I can't guarantee something like that," Gaara snapped. "Shukaku—

"—you must try your hardest," Sakura pressed. "If I'm…" she caught her breath in order to regain strength.

"If you expect me to put my life on the line to find a cure for the **both** of us…you should be able to keep this one promise," she snapped right back at him, her tone firm.

'**_Kick him! Kill him! Rip him apart while he's vulnerable you bitch!'_**

Gaara watched darkness flicker in her eyes, and sighed.

"Pft. Whatever…...yes."

Sakura nodded.

"Come back here tomorrow, and don't let anyone follow you. Naruto and Sasuke will surely try to stop me if they find out."

Gaara looked at her curiously.

"Find out…what?"

Sakura smiled gustily.

"That I'm going to steal The Seven Scrolls."

* * *

A/N: BUM-BUM-BUMMMM! Okay, that should tide you guys over for a while. It was longer than the other chapters, and more involved. Next chapter, as predicted, Sakura will attempt to steal the seven scrolls. The only question is…will she succeed?

* * *

**Preview of Chapter six:**

_Sakura bit her thumb experimentally, and waited until a crimson drop pooled on her pale skin. Swallowing her tears, she traced a spiral on Gaara's bare chest, watching his eyes wearily. He was stoic as always, but she couldn't help but tense at their proximity._

"_I don't like this…" he breathed into her hair inadvertently. "This touching thing."_

_Sakura blushed lightly, and reached up, pressing a palm against his cheek._

"_Don't. Just don't move."

* * *

_


	6. Blood Extraction

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter six: Blood Extraction

* * *

"This is a really gutsy move…I don't know why I promised him anything…" Sakura muttered to herself as she rolled on her side in her bed. 

For the past few hours, she had discovered it was harder for inner Sakura to dig into her thoughts and take over if she simply spoke aloud to herself. Of course, it was annoying, but at that point, Sakura was willing to do whatever it took so that she wouldn't be rendered vulnerable and weak.

"How am I going to do this?" she snapped to herself, and sat up abruptly, only to be met with a wall of sand.

"Gaara!" she squealed, and covered her scarcely dressed form with her bed sheets. Gaara stared at her as he stood at the foot of the bed, saying nothing.

"I…I didn't know you were still here," Sakura stammered.

Gaara retreated to a corner of her room, and sat down against the wall.

"I had to make sure you weren't going to run away…you know…back out of our deal?" he gave her a stern glare from his corner.

Sakura tensed. She wasn't at all comfortable with having Gaara in her room, but she wasn't brave enough or stupid enough to tell him to leave.

"I wouldn't. I need the scrolls as well," she said quietly, careful not to offend him.

"Before…when I scared you…you said…'Gaara'" Gaara frowned.

"Huh?" Sakura stared in confusion.

He sighed restlessly, and stared out the window. There was a long silence before he spoke again.

"Forget it," he muttered.

Sakura gathered the sheets securely around her form, and covered herself completely. She made sure her back was to Gaara as she closed her eyes.

"I called you Gaara because you said you didn't appreciate Kazekage-sama….it looked as if it hurt you," she whispered, mostly to herself.

Gaara un-strapped his sand gourd and let it clatter noisily to the floor. The lack of weight on his shoulders felt relaxing, and he almost missed Sakura's comment. Almost.

"You're foolish," he snapped. "Nothing hurts me."

Glaring at a spot on the wall, Sakura huddled farther beneath the sheets.

"Nothing but Shukaku," she countered.

Gaara seethed, and felt Shukaku reawakening within him.

'**_How dare she? Spill her blood, Gaara! Do it now!'_**

'_No! I won't let you control me!'_

Gaara frowned in displeasure, and directed his sand towards her, flinging the sheets to the floor and forcing her to sit up.

"If you think you're being witty…let me tell you…you're not. If you have something to say to me…say it to my face, alright Haruno?" he growled.

Sakura recoiled from Gaara and turned her head away.

"I need a good plan, that's all," she whispered to herself, bundled up on the bed.

Gaara's ears twitched from the corner, and he closed his eyes, reducing the lids to thick, black smudges. He sighed openly.

"Ambush the fifth and take the scrolls," Gaara said bluntly, and then opened his eyes. "It's that simple."

Sakura shot him a dark glare from the bed and sat up.

"You've learned nothing, have you! Gaara….san…you don't need to harm others in order to prove your existence!" she shouted.

Gaara looked away, unmoved and quiet settled over the room.

'_Don't yell at me! How dare she yell at me? How dare she!'_

'_**Spill her blood!'**_

Sakura took a deep breath and then let it out. She looked at him apologetically.

"I'm...sorry…it's just that…Tsunade-sama is the fifth hokage. I'm nowhere near strong enough to take her on," she frowned.

For a moment, Gaara took in her words and then slunk back into his corner. His sand gourd shifted beside him suddenly, and his eyes went dark.

"This was your idea, so think hard and figure something out," he warned.

Sakura gulped and put her head in her hands. She was furious at Gaara, but wasn't anywhere near stupid enough to make her feelings known. After a moment, she collected her thoughts and cleared her throat. She had to pull of stealing the seven scrolls or she'd be doomed to eternal madness.

"Grr…you have to come with me!" Sakura blurted suddenly.

Gaara looked up, startled.

"What?" he snapped.

Sakura bobbed her head up and down excitedly.

"You can be a distraction! Yeah, and I can rush in and take the scrolls!" she chirped happily.

Gaara snorted in disgust.

"Pft. My own land doesn't even know I'm here. There's no way I'm going to expose myself for this," he said firmly.

Sakura choked. Now she was dealing with a death mission **and** a missing-nin! She stood her ground.

"And there's no way that I can pull this off on my own Gaara-saaaaa…n," Sakura's cheeks went rosy with blush.

Gaara rolled his eyes and ignored it. However, Sakura was just about ready to beg.

"You have to! That's the only logical op—

She cut herself off, and slowly, her eyes widened.

"I've got it," she whispered.

Gaara groaned.

"What now?" he hissed.

"You and I will go to Tsunade-sama's together, but I'll go in to talk to her and borrow some healing scrolls as a distraction. Meanwhile, you can use your sand to leech under the windowsill and grab the seven scrolls of sealing and extraction. I'll be the distraction, and afterward, replace the seven scrolls with some duplicates before she notices. We'll go at an odd hour so she'd drowsy. It's not foolproof, but in theory…it should work." Sakura folded her hands over her heart and looked at Gaara hopefully.

He sighed.

"Pft. I guess it sounds okay, but where are you going to get duplicates?" he asked, and Sakura grinned.

"I've worked with her long enough to know how the scrolls are laid out. I'll just copy the seven and switch them out," she said matter-o-factly.

However, Gaara didn't look convinced.

"What about the inside of the scrolls? Won't she notice that they're blank?'

Sakura smirked knowingly.

"The insides of the seven scrolls **are** blank. You have to use high amounts of chakra to reveal the jutsus. I'll imprint some symbols and low class jutsus in to the fakes and we'll be done with the real ones before she even notices anything." She rose from the bed and took slow strides towards Gaara, careful not to get too close.

He frowned deeply as he watched her last step, and Sakura retreated slightly.

"You'll do this…won't you?" She asked, pleading.

Gaara frowned.

"I will, but only for myself. I'm not at all obligated to you," he announced.

Sakura hung her head in defeat.

'_Why does he have to be this way?' _she asked herself. _'Didn't his fight with Naruto teach him anything?'_

Sakura sighed aloud.

"You've established that, so I'm assuming we have a deal," she stuck out a hand for him to shake.

Gaara didn't move an inch to take it.

"We have a deal. There's no need to touch," he hissed.

Sakura lowered her hand slowly, and stepped back.

"Yes Gaara-san. As you wish," her tone was cold and mocking, but for the rest of that night, neither of them said anything more about it.

Sakura merely pulled out seven long pieces of parchment and a calligraphy brush, ready to work her magic on the fake scrolls.

* * *

"Hold it! I said I wanted to take the first shift Sasuke! You can't just push me out of way!" Naruto shoved Sasuke in retaliation as they headed for Sakura's new apartment. 

"Listen here, dobe….I'm stronger than you, so it's most logical that I would take the first watch." Sasuke leapt from his tree branch and landed on top of Sakura's roof, feet firmly planted.

Naruto was next, and far less graceful. He nearly fell through the chimney in his landing. With a loud and obnoxious curse, he slid over next to Sasuke and caught his breath.

"You can't tell me what to do you bastard! You know what, **I'll **take the roof watch and **you** can take the forest!" Naruto grinned and stuck a foot out to kick Sasuke off his perch.

Sasuke kept his balance, and with one finger, prodded Naruto between the eyes. The blonde haired Chuunin stumbled backward and toppled off the roof with a yelp. Sasuke smiled proudly.

"**You** take the forest, dobe.** I'll **stay here and watch Sakura," he snapped.

Naruto scowled and sat on his legs angrily, looking about ready to rip out Sasuke's heart. Just as he was about to fling himself back up onto the roof, Sakura's front door flew open.

"What's going on out here!" she exclaimed.

Sasuke jumped down from the roof and met Sakura's gaze. Her cheeks flooded with color at the thought of the night before. Sasuke looked over her shoulder and inside the apartment.

"Kakashi said we're responsible for surveillance. Naruto's going to take the woods—

"—Shut up you bastard! I'm going to stay with you Sakura-chan! "Naruto cut in, and lunged for Sakura.

She stepped out of the way at the last moment, and Naruto slid across the floor, bumping his head in the corner of the opposite wall. She sighed openly.

"I don't need protection you guys. All I want right now is to be left alone."

Sakura was firm as she spoke, though her appearance and behavior gave way to her insecurities. She was in her normal white shirt and black shorts, but the shirt was hanging loosely off her shoulder, and the shorts had a visible food stain on the thigh. She had worn the same clothes yesterday.

Sasuke observed her hands, and saw that she was twitching slightly, and even shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. There was something big on her mind.

"Something wrong, Sakura?" Sasuke prodded.

Naruto spun around suddenly, and sniffed at a trail of sand in the doorway.

"Was Gaara inside here?" he asked gruffly.

Sakura averted her eyes from Sasuke's quickly, and chased Naruto out of the corner.

"No!" she blurted a bit too quickly. "I mean…it's the sand from yesterday. It was all over me. Some must have gotten on the floor there."

Sakura brought her hands behind her back innocently, and smiled.

"You know guys…I'm feeling really relaxed and centered and everything…, so you should leave. I don't need surveillance!" She giggled.

Sasuke pressed past her suddenly, and his eyes widened. He could feel a dark presence over his shoulder, but when he turned around, it was gone. Sakura curled her fists nervously, and cut Sasuke off as he headed for the bedroom.

"Don't. It's messy," she pleaded, but Sasuke continued towards the bedroom. Naruto followed, head spinning.

'_Come on Gaara…get out!'_ Sakura willed him mentally.

Sasuke looked inside the bedroom and did a quick sweep. There was nothing to be seen, and no chakra that he could pick up. He snorted.

"Fine then. We'll leave for now, but we'll be back later…" Sasuke locked eyes with Sakura in a gaze that made her shiver.

Inadvertently, she touched her lips and blushed. Sasuke smirked and poofed out of the room in white smoke. Naruto stared up at the pink haired kunoichi, worried.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sakura-chan?" he asked softly.

Sakura averted her eyes to the blonde and smiled timidly. The last thing she watned to do was lie to Naruto, especially when he was only trying to do his best to protect her.

"Yeah Naruto, don't worry. I'm fine."

But she had to.

Naruto stood there for a moment, verifying her smile, and suddenly threw his arms around her in a bear hug. After a long while, he let go, and lifted a large pack from his back.

"I took the liberty of picking up some of your clothes. We'll be back Sakura-chan…and don't worry…we won't bother you," he grinned and gave lee's nice guy pose for emphasis.

Sakura chewed on her lower lip as she watched him go, tears threatening to spill.

"What a pathetic display…"

Sakura turned around in shock to see Gaara sitting on the kitchen table, his foot balanced on one of the chair arms. Sakura turned around and sniffled, trying not to cry.

"I hate lying to Naruto…" she whispered.

Gaara rolled his eyes and pretended to play a small violin. A smirk graced his lips as he watched Sakura's back move up and down rapidly. She was crying again.

"Pathetic…aren't you?" he grinned. "A waste of chakra."

Gaara waited for some crybaby, or some fit of tears, blubbering and wails. Nothing came. Once more, he tried to get at her. This time, he took a few steps closer.

"Maybe I should have killed you back then…Saved the world from such a mistake. I—

"—Shut up!" Sakura whirled around on him, and threw a smack his way. Not a punch. A smack.

Gaara's eyes widened, and his sand created a quick barrier. However, her hand passed right through and struck his cheek. He closed his eyes and remembered the first time she had hit him. It was becoming ritualistic….

'_My greatest enemy…and her own. How ironic…it's herself.'_

Sakura stood her ground, breathing heavily and groaning. Gaara staggered backward, and his sand receded.

"Don't you dare touch…"Gaara started, but didn't finish. "Just…don't…."

Sakura stared at her hands guiltily, and then quickly wiped her eyes. She wouldn't dare say a thing about what had just occurred. Inner Sakura's movements were getting common now, and her lashing out was only the beginning.

"Tsunade-sama. Let's remember…Tsunade-sama," she said in a hushed whisper.

Gaara clenched his teeth and snarled, looking the other way.

Sakura rose to her feet, and headed towards the bag Naruto had left on the floor. It consisted of some of her old pink outfits, and some ugly dresses that had been shoved far back into her closet.

"Naruto…" she frowned, but then picked out one of the pink outfits. "This will do."

Gaara watched her with annoyance in his eyes, trying to take his mind off the sting of her slap. She disappeared into her closet for a few moments, and came out in the pink and blue outfit that had been her trademark four years ago. Everything was the same…save for her Konoha forehead protector. She had it tied around her ankle.

'_Girls…' _he thought with an audible sigh.

"Come on then…we'll start out now," Sakura put her hands on her hips and gave a less than convincing smile.

Gaara half ignored her, and disappeared in a whirl of sand. Almost instantly, Sakura frowned and glared angrily at the trails of sand he left on the ground.

"Stupid demon bastard. He'd better not mess the plan up," she growled, and then covered her mouth in surprise of her own words.

* * *

"Okay, hide your chakra really well, and I'll go in, okay?" Sakura whispered to Gaara from the ground below. 

He sat perched in a tree, ready to slip his sand out of its container on his back. He nodded in understanding, and watched her walk calmly around to the front of Tsunade's office.

"Tsunade-sama!" she called in cheerfully.

The fifth threw open the door groggily, and looked at the wall clock.

"Are you nuts Sakura? It's barely seven in the morning!" She yawned, wiping at the familiar drool spot on her cheek.

There were ink smudges on her neck and chin where she had fallen asleep on her papers. Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

"Sorry Tsunade-sama, but I just came to take some healing scrolls. Is that alright?" she asked as sweetly as possible.

Tsunade sighed and waved her off, heading towards her desk to pass out again.

"Take 'em. Just don't mess anything up…" she mumbled, and buried her face in her arms next to a half empty bottle of sake.

Sakura grinned. It was better than she had expected. Quietly, she made a shuffle towards the wall where Tsunade held all her medicinal scrolls. To make sure she didn't ask questions, Sakura took a few healing scrolls, and shoved them into the pouch by her side. As she inched her way towards the window, she spotted Gaara pressed up against the wall outside.

Sakura spotted the seven scrolls instantly in a case atop the bottled medicines. Quickly, she opened the unlocked door, and pulled out the large, green box that held all seven scrolls. It was heavier than she had remembered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gaara's sand begin to slither up the wall. Gently, she took out the scrolls and pressed them into the pile of sand. Gaara easily lifted them out and into his hands.

"Alright, here we go," Sakura pulled out seven of the duplicate scrolls she had fashioned the night before, and opened them up to make sure the chakra-revealing jutsu she had placed on them still held.

They remained blank, and Sakura smiled gratefully.

"Mnmm…Sakura. You finding everything okay?" Tsunade called out suddenly.

Sakura gasped, and shoved the scrolls back into place inside the box, forcing it back into its case as Tsunade's footsteps approached.

"Yeah Tsunade-sama! You can get back to sleep, you know! Don't mind me!" Sakura tried to keep her voice as level as possible.

Gaara snuck a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, and took off before Tsunade could catch him. Sakura gave the box a hard shove, and shut the case door just as it had been before. At that moment, Tsunade walked in, rubbing her eyes.

"You've already woken me up…now I _have_ to start working," she smirked, and then looked down at Sakura's arms, loaded with healing scrolls.

"Whoa, take it easy there with those…" she chuckled.

Sakura blushed in a panic, and put down half of her load.

"I…sorry. I got carried away you know…I wanted to stock up!" she grinned. Tsunade gave her a scrutinizing look, and then shrugged.

"Whatever. Anyway…how….how are things going?" She asked softly, resting a hand on the top of Sakura's head.

"You mean…with….Inner Sakura?" Sakura asked sorrowfully.

"Yeah," Tsunade brushed a strand of hair from her eyes.

Sakura looked up at her boldly.

"I think I'm getting better. I'm…coming to terms with my emotions," She lied, and plastered on a big fake smile she was sure Tsunade could certainly see through.

The older woman let out a loud sigh, and patted Sakura's head.

"Well, try your hardest Sakura…and be careful," she sighed.

Sakura nodded, and hurried out before Tsunade could ask her anything more. Her heart was racing as she ran home, leaping from tree to tree with her pouch full of healing scrolls. As she saw her apartment, she slowed her run to a walk, and entered from the back door.

"Gaara! Did you get back okay?"

Sakura searched for Gaara in the main rooms, but all was quiet. As she rounded the kitchen corner, the only thing that alerted her of his presence was the feeling of surging power from her bedroom. Sakura could feel his dark chakra, and opened the door to find him sitting on the hardwood floor, trying to reveal the writing on one of the scrolls with his chakra. He was sweating heavily, and appeared exhausted.

"You lied. You said they'd open with chakra, and I've used almost all of mine up already and it won't open!" He shouted, his eyes wild with anger.

'**_It seems your little plan to get rid of me is failing, Gaara!'_**

'_No! No! No! Dammit! She lied to me! Lied to me!'_

Sakura came to his side quickly, and stared at the scrolls. There was no sign of writing, and she could feel the warmth of his chakra. For a long while, she said nothing.

"Calm down. Let…let's try it together. We both have excellent chakra control…so together…" Sakura uttered quietly, praying her efforts weren't in vain.

"Let's just try," she added quickly, and pressed both hands flat on the scroll.

Gaara stared at her hands, her skin so pale…yet smooth…almost…pretty.

'_Almost.'_

Secretly, he was afraid to go put **his** hands anywhere near them. Sakura met his eyes, and he looked away, setting his palms on the scroll. His fingernails were disgusting – crusted with sand and blood where he had been careless…the back of his hands tanned in some places, but paler than Sakura's skin where his shirt sleeves lifted.

He felt…self conscious.

"Ready?" Sakura asked a sudden strength in her voice.

Gaara nodded soundlessly, too concerned with the angry demon within him.

'**_You're going to be sorry, you bastard! Why the hell are you even doing this? There's nothing going for you!'_**

'_I need to be free. I want a chance…'_

'_**A chance at what? Faux normality! You make me laugh! I won't go that easily!'**_

'_Well, I'm looking forward to the fight!'_

Gaara stared at Sakura hungrily, saliva foaming at the corners of his mouth. His head was throbbing, and Sakura was picking up on it. Almost simultaneously, her inner sakura began to awaken.

'**_You're actually going through with this…you pathetic little girl!'_**

'_I'm not a little girl! Stop patronizing me!'_

'_**It's not going to be as easy as you think! I'm going to put up a fight! Believe it!'**_

'_You bitch! What are you now…Naruto!'_

Sakura shook her head rapidly, but the voices continued. Sakura reached for a kunai from across the floor, and sliced it across her wrist. Blood rushed to the surface of her skin quickly, and the voices stopped. However, the pain was only a temporary distraction.

"Now Gaara!" she gasped, and cut his wrist to match hers. He groaned loudly, and his eyes went back to normal.

Suddenly, Gaara's hands twitched violently, and he forced every last bit of chakra within him into the scrolls. Sakura followed suit, evenly dispersing the flow throughout her body and into her hands. However, she made sure to reserve a tiny bit for their recuperation.

Sakura and Gaara could both feel themselves being drained, their heads being filled with a sickly green haze. Gaara smiled weakly, and curled one of his hands into a fist. He released as Sakura did, both of them falling back against the floor.

"G-Gaara-san?" she murmured drowsily, the room spinning around her so fast she was instantly nauseated.

She leaned over to the side and swept her hair out of her face before vomiting on the floor. Gaara lay motionless beside her, his head lolled to one side, crusted blood and vomit on his lips and cheek. His breath came in slow pants, and his eyes were open, fixed on a spot in the ceiling.

"Gaara-san! Please! Are you alright!" Sakura shook his shoulder vigorously, and Gaara groaned.

She sobbed gratefully. It was a sign he was coming around. Quickly, she took one of the healings scrolls to him, and used it to transfer some of her remaining chakra to him in order to do a slight replenish. It wasn't long before he began to wake.

"I can still hear the voices…" he panted. "Is…is the scroll…is…"

Gaara was unable to finish. Sakura lifted the scroll from the ground, and smiled breathlessly. The Japanese characters were revealed at once, along with pictures on different hand seals and placement.

"Yes. We've done it," she grinned. "Gaara…we're getting closer."

Gaara was too weak to force out a snide comment. Instead, he pushed himself into a half sitting, half crouching position in order to make sense of the characters.

"We're lucky. We chose the right one. Blood Extraction," Sakura put a hand to her forehead, gasping softly.

Gaara watched her intently, and tensed when she seemed to be having a seizure. He stared, unsure of what to do, and waited until she finally stopped. Sakura wavered in her sitting position tiredly, and read the scroll aloud.

"To attempt this extraction….make sure that you are in a cleansed room. No…. free ….roaming objects, no…sunlight, and no impurities. Bodies… must also be in a pure state…" Sakura looked around the room, and sighed openly.

"I need more power…" she whispered, and thought of inner Sakura.

If she could tap into that power source, she could replenish Gaara as well.

Centering herself, Sakura closed her eyes and faded away into a shadowy image of herself. It was inner Sakura, smirking knowingly.

"**What do you want from me?" **she snapped.

Sakura didn't respond. Instead, she made a lunge for her body, and disappeared within. Inner Sakura let out a scream, as bits of chakra were ripped from her body. Sakura struggled with the demon until she finally grasped enough for rejuvenation.

"**You bitch! Fine…take it, but you'll be sorry! I'll be out of here soon enough!" **Inner Sakura shouted, and attempted to pull Sakura down.

However, she wasn't giving up that easily. Panting heavily, Sakura decided today would be the last day she would ever need someone to rescue her. She could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

"YES!" Sakura grinned, and leapt onto her feet.

Gaara stared at her through half lidded eyes, bewildered. Sakura pressed her hand on top of his head and closed her eyes to transfer the chakra. Gaara rose to his feet without a word, and stared.

"How did you manage—

"—I can't talk about it now. We need to clean up," Sakura gestured to the messy bedroom.

Gaara nodded and whisked a bit of sand out of his gourd, using it to sweep the floor clean of debris.

"Go bathe or something. I'll be done shortly," he said calmly, and opened the window to dispose of the mess.

Sakura kept her eyes on him for a moment before rushing off to the bathroom. The tub was still filled with water she hadn't used last night, but she knew it was freezing.

"I can deal with it," she hissed to herself, and removed her clothes, submerging herself in the icy bath water.

As quickly as possible, she rubbed her skin with a washcloth and soap until it was rosy with rawness. The bathwater turned a dingy brown, and Sakura lifted herself out carefully. After draining the water, she discarded her clothing in the bathroom hamper, and slipped into the hallway in a complimentary cotton robe with the symbol of leaf village on the front.

Just as she reappeared in the bedroom, Sakura caught Gaara standing in front of the bathroom door. She gasped.

'_Did…did he just see me?' _she thought with a blush, and then cleared her head.

Sakura inspected him, and sighed. He was nowhere near 'cleansed.' Trudging back into the bathroom, she filled up two buckets of water. One held warm, soapy water, and the other, cold rinsing water.

"Here. I'll help you get cleaned up if you still feel weak," Sakura said bashfully, and dipped a new washcloth into the soapy water.

Gaara recoiled from her outstretched hand with a snarl. He knew he looked absolutely disgusting, but there was no way in hell he was going to let her touch him.

"Give me that," he snapped, and un-strapped his sand gourd.

It clattered loudly on the floor, and Sakura picked it carefully to move it. She could tell Gaara was watching her out of the corner of his eye, so she tried her best not to shift it or bump it around too much. Sakura set it down behind the living room couch and made sure no sand leaked onto the floor. She didn't need Sasuke or Naruto sniffing around again.

Sakura took out a healing scroll and used it on her cut wrist. The pain was getting to her, and she was sure it must have been worse for Gaara. His cut was deeper.

'_I'd better clean the wound for him…' _she thought, but stopped abruptly as she rounded the corner.

Before her, Gaara stood in nothing but a pair of black boxers, scrubbing dirt stains from his arms and legs. Her cheeks flooded with color instantly.

'_Gaara-san…I never noticed how beautiful you were…'_

"Y-you…I expected you to do that in the bathroom, you know…" Sakura stammered, her face the color of a cherry.

Gaara looked up, his eyes cold and detached. Sakura tried to keep from staring, but found it useless. She had never seen a man so…undressed before!

"What the hell does it matter?" his snap woke Sakura from her daze.

'_I…I'm so foolish. I shouldn't care about him…'_

"I…never mind," she replied meekly, and watched him scrub his hair over the soapy water bucket, and then dip it into the cold water.

Sand, leaves and dirt floated atop the water's surface, and Sakura wondered how long it had been since he'd actually bathed.

Just as he finished, Sakura came back with a towel for him that he snatched easily from her hands. It was the last straw.

"Why does it hurt you so much to be kind!" she shouted.

Gaara continued toweling off his hair, silent.

"You're the most ungrateful man I've ever met! I'm doing this for you as well! I could have easily—

"—I live my life for me and me alone, Haruno," he said gravely as he moved the towel slowly down his chest, rigid with muscles gained from rigorous training.

'_You're also the saddest man I've ever seen…Gaara-san…'_

Sakura blushed. She was staring again.

"Please…call me Sakura," she whispered, and disposed of the water buckets.

Gaara snorted aloud, and read the next line of the scrolls mentally before meeting Sakura's eyes.

"We need our combined blood for this because we're doing a double extraction," he said firmly. "Copy the symbols once in your own blood on your body, and then reverse it."

Sakura looked around skeptically.

"We have to alternate. I don't have any plates or bowls to hold the blood," she admitted.

Gaara frowned. The last thing he wanted was Sakura to touch him, but the thought of being controlled by Shukaku forever compelled him. Firmly, he bit his thumb to draw blood, and began copying the circles, dots, lines and swirls instructed on the scroll, onto his body. Sakura followed suit, trying to keep up in pace. She slipped off her robe completely, and snuck glances at Gaara every few moment, just to make sure he wasn't looking at her.

'_I can't believe I'm sitting in my underwear in front of an ex-murderer!'_

Lastly, she pressed a dot onto her forehead, and wiped her thumb. The prick had healed itself.

"I'll…start with you first," Sakura met Gaara's eyes, watchfully, and took a deep breath as he nodded.

Sakura bit her other thumb experimentally, and waited until a crimson drop pooled on her pale skin. Swallowing her tears, she traced a spiral on Gaara's bare chest, watching his eyes wearily. He was stoic as always, but she couldn't help but tense at their proximity.

"I don't like this…" he breathed into her hair inadvertently. "…this touching thing."

Sakura blushed lightly, and reached up, pressing a palm against his cheek.

"Don't. Don't move," she strained to get the words out, and moved her thumb across his collarbone, neck and taut stomach muscles.

She noticed how pale his skin was, and frowned.

"You live in the desert…I'd think you'd have a better tan than this," Sakura joked to lighten the mood.

Gaara growled under his breath, and she quieted herself.

Carefully, Sakura crept onto her knees behind him, and did a larger swirl over the one he had already traced. It was amazing how fluid his strokes were, even in such an awkward position.

"I don't tan. I burn," he said suddenly, and Sakura's whole face heated up.

He had actually responded to something she said, and this time, he didn't sound so tense. Sakura smiled, and faced him, adding the finishing touches to his legs and feet.

"Done. You know, it's the same with me. Ino's always teasing me about how pale I am. She, of course…has a great tan. _And _a better rack," she frowned.

Gaara gave her a confused look.

"Rack?" he asked.

Blood rushed to Sakura's cheeks.

"I mean, she's really pretty!"

Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Girls…always obsessed with appearance," he grumbled. "You know…the room's not hot. Why are you all red like that?"

Gaara asked, oblivious to Sakura's embarrassment.

"I…I don't know," she squeaked timidly as she felt Gaara's rough hand on her shoulder.

"Stay still. You're shaking," he commanded, and drew blood on his other thumb.

Gaara pressed his thumb to the valley between her breasts, and was amazed at how warm it was. He continued tracing, affected by the softness of her skin and delicate features. His mind seemed to go blank as he watched her close her eyes, and bit his forefinger to help speed up the action. She bent over slowly, exposing the gentle curve of her spine, and the way parts of her skin dimpled towards her stomach.

Gaara took her leg in his hand, and watched her begin to smile as he worked there, diligent over her calves and smooth thighs.

'_She's smiling…am…am I making her smile?'_

Sakura's lips twitched upward, and she chewed on her lower lip, seemingly amused at the treatment. His feather light touches were tickling her, and it was all she could do not to burst out in a fit of laughter. After all, he _was_ being gentle.

Sakura let out a soft giggle as he finished, and opened her eyes. To her surprise, she caught a glimpse of the tiniest line of red making its way over his cheeks. He turned away instantly, and pretended to read the scroll. Sakura merely stared at her feet.

'_He was blushing…'_

"Sakura…" her name passed his lips before he could stop it. He continued to look down, and Sakura rose to her hands and knees in a crouch.

'_He called me Sakura. Not bitch…not woman…not girl, but Sakura!'_

"Yes?" she tried to sound nonchalant. "What does it say we should do next?"

Gaara cleared his throat and gave her a serious look.

"We have to open the other six scrolls all at once…and find sacrifices."

* * *

A/N: Whoa, sorry for the extra super long-ness. I just couldn't bring myself to stop! Anyway, here's next chapter's preview: 

**Chapter 7 Preview**

"_I don't remember a time when I wasn't lonely…when I didn't long to be loved," Gaara frowned, eyes focused on moon. _

"_Temari and Kankuro...they never understood. They got to see the better side of father…they weren't cursed by their mother…"_

_Sakura stared out with him while attempting to keep her balance on the roof. Every time she moved, she got closer to falling off the edge. _

"_I'm so sorry," she whispered. "But… what exactly happened to make you this way?" _

_Sakura asked, about to slip off the roof._

_Gaara watched Sakura squirm in out of the corner of his eye, and stared at his hands before outstretching one to pull her up._

"_It's…a very long story…" he uttered sorrowfully, for the first time, showing her the full extent of his sadness._

_Sakura stared in awe at his hand for a moment before taking it, and threw herself against him for a hug she knew heart and soul that he wouldn't return. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she remembered how he'd told her he hated crying girls just hours before._

"_Oh Gaara…" she whispered, inhaling his scent. _

_He was clean for once…._

…_and she cried anyway.

* * *

_


	7. Sickness in Healing

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter seven: Sickness in Healing

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"Sacrifices? Why do we need sacrifices!" Sakura shouted, flinging the scroll across the room. 

Gaara licked a small trail of blood from his thumb and smirked. He took joy in seeing her squirm.

"What…you're afraid of killing something?" he asked cockily.

Sakura faced him, and her eyes went wide in horror. At that moment, it seemed to settle in that she was dealing with an ex-murderer. Gaara would soon as kill his own moth (no) — fath (no) —brother or sister than show any sign of compassion. Distraught, Sakura whimpered.

"You…jerk…" she sniffled, and Gaara rolled his eyes.

"You know…there's only one thing I hate more than crybabies…" he hissed. "And that's girls…"

Sakura wiped her tears, and shot a dangerous glare towards Gaara. In her state, especially with inner Sakura raging within, she wasn't about to let a comment like that slide.

"It figures! No wonder you spent that whole time wanting to fight Naruto and Sasuke! Probably to get a nice long look at them…right?" she smirked, her eyes darkening in shade.

Gaara's eye twitched. He was sure as hell not gay, but he _was_ one heck of a homophobe.

"Take that back!" he shouted as a warning, heading for his gourd.

"No!" Sakura lunged at Gaara before he got it, and managed to grab his ankles.

The red-head let out a loud curse and fell face first against the wooden floorboards. Sand spread out everywhere, picking up on danger. However, all the confusion made it useless for protection.

Gaara growled. He was usually against murdering women in cold blood, but he was beginning to think he'd make a definite exception this time.

"Get off me you pathetic chakra sack!" he spat, and wrestled Sakura's hands from his ankles.

Gaara rose to his knees, but groaning, Sakura latched her arms tightly around his waist, and he fell forward again. The two wrestled half naked on the ground for a good while, grunting and shouting until Gaara managed to pry Sakura's hands off him once and for all.

Breathing heavily, he fell onto his back, and clawed for the scroll. Sakura remained lying on her stomach, staring at the dried blood on her skin. The hardly had time to blush or recoil in embarrassment at her actions. She was extremely frustrated.

"**That's right baby! Don't mess with this GIRL!" **she snapped, and then covered her mouth in alarm.

Gaara gave her a dangerous look, and Sakura turned away, valuing her safety.

"These are going to be useless if we don't do something to make them permanent," she said breathlessly, seemingly forgetting about their little tiff only moments before. "Does it say anything in the scroll about that?" she asked.

Gaara read the rest of the characters at the bottom, and then pointed to some small text in the corner.

"We have to use something called a "preservatory jutsu" to keep the blood seals intact more than one day if necessary," he stared at the scrolls for a little longer, and then moved his hands in rapid formation according to the pictures.

In a matter of moments, the dingy red crusts of blood on his skin turned back and seeped through, leeching themselves into his body.

"Easy," he smirked, and watched Sakura stare in awe.

"I've…I've never been good at jutsus like that…" she said bashfully.

Gaara was about to say something cold, but the look in her eyes stopped him. For the first time in his life, he felt his heart race from something more than adrenaline.

'_Am I…am I actually feeling sorry for her?'_

'_**Don't help her, fool! You're leaving yourself vulnerable! Remember how everyone used to take advantage of you!'**_

Gaara shook his head in anguish.

"Just…..do it slowly. It won't matter. Put as much focus into is as you do chakra control," he choked, and then turned his back on her.

Sakura blushed, and then folded her hands over her heart.

"Wow…thank you…Gaara-san."

"Whatever," he grumbled.

Sakura rolled her eyes, and then followed Gaara's advice, moving slowly with the right amount of concentration. Her extraction symbols lit up one by one, seeping into her at a snail's pace. It was at least ten or fifteen minutes until they were all sealed.

"Heh…easy…." She smiled nervously, and turned to face Gaara.

However, the stoic red-head was gone. Sakura pulled on her old training clothes and followed the sound of his footsteps into the living room. Gaara was straightening his shirt when Sakura entered.

"You're leaving?" she whispered.

Gaara stared her down.

"There's no need for me to stay, woman. I should be looking for an appropriate raccoon to sacrifice," he frowned.

"A…raccoon?" Sakura gave him a clueless look.

"Shukaku is a tanuki…raccoon like creature. It's derived from a mythical beast, so a raccoon would be the closet match," he shivered inadvertently, and clutched his head.

'**_Damn you boy…damn you.'_**

"Then…what could I possibly sacrifice? Inner Sakura is me..." her eyes began to well with tears.

She cried softly at the thought of taking her own life. The whole thing would be worthless.

"Figure it out," he snapped, and turned his back on her.

Sakura watched him start to walk away in disbelief. Her eyes shimmered continuously with tears that trailed down her pale cheeks as she sobbed.

"It's not hopeless!" she cried.

Sakura's nose was running now, but she ignored it. Gaara stopped walking suddenly, and tensed.

"It's not…" she sniffled. "Even if I have to give an arm or a leg…I'll do this…because if I don't…It'll be just the same as killing myself."

Gaara kept his back to Sakura, and stared up at the sky.

"You're an idiot," he hissed.

"I know…but…" Sakura quivered. "But…won't you stay a while?"

Gaara gave her an incredulous look as he turned around, and snorted. Sakura lowered her eyes.

"I just want to know why you would possibly give up your strength to rid yourself of Shukaku. If proving your existence is what you really want…then why…why do this?" she asked.

"I don't need to answer you," he snapped.

"Why leave your brother…Kankuro…and your sister…Temari…"

"They don't care about me!"

"Your country…"

"They only fear me!"

"To create what is only going to be a shell of your former self…" Sakura came closer with every word until she was standing nose to nose with a very pissed off Gaara.

"You don't understand!" he barked.

"Then…please tell me," Sakura reached up to put a hand on his shoulder, but Gaara moved away.

Her words were striking a nerve with him, and he knew well enough she wouldn't back down. She had the pathetic childish mentality that would keep her going until either Gaara broke, or of course, until he broke her.

His mind swirled with thoughts of her murder, of how good it would feel to witness her bones crushing under the impact of his sand.

And then he stopped.

He stopped thinking, and started reasoning.

Spilling her blood would be a waste, and even he knew he wouldn't be able to take the look in her eyes. Death wouldn't become her.

"I don't owe you that," he whispered.

Sakura lowered her eyes, backing up like a whipped puppy with its tail between its legs. Gaara glared at her, enraged.

"I don't understand you," he said finally.

Sakura squinted in confusion. Why was it that all of a sudden, his lips were loose? Just the sight of his darkly rimmed eyes and the bloodlust they held made her shiver. Deep inside, she wondered if it was really Shukaku that made him this way. Could a man like him ever reform?

"There's so much I could say about how pathetic you are…but…you'll never change. Yet you put your life on the line to rid yourself of the one thing that could possibly make you human."

'_Human?'_ Sakura thought, staring at her hands, covered with symbols, etched into her skin.

Gaara smirked. She was truly a fool to him.

"Anger," he said simply. "You can't go through life pretending to be happy-go-lucky. It doesn't work. It will kill you. But you know that…_don't you_?"

Sakura took another few steps back, shaking her head.

'**_Is this…true!'_**

"No!" She screamed, covering her ears with her hands.

Gaara chuckled sinisterly.

"It was a suicide mission. You wanted to die alone…to be the victim."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she dropped to her knees.

"I just didn't want to be a burden anymore! But then…" she sobbed. "Then you came along…"

Gaara's smile faded, and he clenched his fists.

"The one who…used to be invincible. If only in his own mind…" Sakura whispered, and lowered her hands from her ears.

Slowly, she fisted the soil beneath her knees, and crumbled it between her fingers.

"And not as myself…I struck you," Sakura rubbed at one of the marks on her arm, but it stayed permanent.

From his distance, Gaara remained silent. He was able to breathe now, but the things she was saying…they made no sense to him.

"I lost control. I wanted to die…and I was sure no one would miss me. Because…unlike you…there is no need to prove my existence. I'm _that _worthless. A…chakra sack…was it?" she smiled tiredly, no longer crying.

She was already dying inside, Gaara could see that, and a quest to expel her inner demon would be pointless until she learned some self worth. It was easier for him…he lived for himself, and himself alone. He didn't understand her tears.

"Then kill yourself," Gaara said bluntly.

Sakura continued sifting dirt from her fingers, until she lowered herself into a sitting position on the ground.

"Or are you…scared of that as well?" he asked.

There was a bit of lightness in his voice that made him falter, if only to reassess himself. Gaara took his eyes off of Sakura, and stared at his own hands. They were dirty, yet unblemished. However, only he could see the real scars.

Emotional.

"Yes…I'm scared," Sakura whimpered. "I'm at a loss for a way out of this pathetic existence…"

"To either save yourself…or run," Gaara filled in, his eyes darkening in shade.

Sakura gave no response to his comment. Instead, she flattened herself against the ground, staring up at the sky.

"You are a slave to yourself," he announced.

"As are you to the past….Gaara-san," Sakura replied, just as coldly.

The two faced off in silence…what used to be dark and light. What remained…was pain.

Gaara leapt suddenly onto the roof from the backyard, and sat, facing the moon. It was getting darker. Sakura stood and stared at this man. This…enigma to whom she had just bared her soul. She felt foolish…naked in front of him.

However, she was drawn to his side once more. Soundlessly, Sakura mimicked his movements, and closed her eyes to the moon. Gaara shifted away from her absentmindedly, putting more distance between them both.

"Have you decided your fate?" He asked out of nowhere, eyes still closed.

Sakura wiped at her eyes, still moist with tears, and let her chin rest atop her knees as she thought.

"I no longer wish to be a slave to myself…I want to be normal, if there is such a thing," she smiled wistfully, and brushed a lock of hair from her eyes.

Gaara squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he felt a raindrop splatter on his forehead. He hated rain, but he wouldn't say so to Sakura. She already knew one of his weaknesses…

"You were right Gaara. As human beings…we cannot live without anger. Otherwise, things get festered inside. That's what Inner Sakura is. My anger…kept bottled up for years," Sakura's voice became stronger as she elaborated.

"When she began speaking to me…I got scared, and retreated further into depression. It was then; I realized that we were not one. She had her personality, and I had mine. She is NOT me, and I will NOT protect her any longer!" Sakura rose to her feet, and slipped.

Gaara's eyes snapped open and he watched her fall onto her back clumsily. His breath came quickly in and out of his nostrils, and secretly, he tried to mask the panicked rhythm of his heartbeat. He had been scared for her.

Sakura smiled nervously, and then let out a sigh of relief as she regained her balance. The rain sprinkled down and she averted her eyes back to the moon. Slowly, she shifted to a lighter conversation.

"It's beautiful…don't you think?" she sniffled. "A full moon…"

"Pft. It's terrible," Gaara muffled his response into his arms as he hugged himself.

The rain continued steadily, but Sakura showed no sign of retreating inside. She loved the rain.

"But…how could it be terrible? A full moon—

"—Full moons only bring hurt…" he started, and then traced the "tattoo" over his darkened eye.

Sakura gasped, and then covered her mouth with one hand. She stared at Gaara. At that moment, he didn't look like the lowlife he portrayed himself as. Right then…wet, tired, and most likely hungry…**he** reminded Sakura of the wounded animal…too afraid to get to close for help.

"Hurt?" she gave the animal a sympathetic look, trying not to smile.

"I never…" Gaara glared at the ground instead of looking back at Sakura. "…hurt as much as I did that day…"

"That day?"

Sakura awaited more, but Gaara withdrew again. He hid himself from her; burying his face deeper into his arms. She frowned, and then scooted closer. As if on fire, Gaara dropped his arms from his face, and moved away quickly.

However, Sakura wouldn't back down.

'_Not tonight.'_

"You know…human beings can't survive without love either…" she chewed on one of her nails unattractively, shifting in embarrassment.

Gaara shied away once more.

"I've never seen someone with the emotional scars you carry…." Sakura stood, and then slipped.

Frowning, she cursed under her breath, and then started again.

"Even though they're hard to see…I know that they're there. They're the hardest to heal…"

Suddenly, Gaara's ears perked, and he stared into Sakura's eyes.

"The pain may never go away…but there is only one thing that can stop such heartache." She smiled gently at her little animal, his hair slick and matted with rainwater.

He looked so absolutely pathetic. So absolutely…attractive.

"However…as inconvenient as it may seem, this cure can only be given to you by someone other than yourself."

She paused a while for emphasis.

"This cure is…love."

As if struck in the face, Gaara's eyes widened with fear and confusion as he stared at Sakura. In a rush, memories came back to him, flooding his mind.

'_I watched them playing ball…'_

'_I was trying to help…'_

'_I didn't mean to…'_

'_The knife…'_

'_It didn't work…'_

'_The sand…'_

'_Yashamaru…'_

'_Love is the cure…'_

'_And you…'_

'_And you…'_

'_Betrayed me…'_

"Shut up!" he burst out suddenly in anger, his sand engulfing Sakura by reflex alone.

Without time to scream, Sakura was caught up, about to be crushed in Gaara's desert coffin.

"Mother never loved me! You lied to me! You never loved me either, Yashamaru! You bastard!" Gaara shouted, squeezing Sakura tighter and tighter.

"Gaara, please….stop…" she begged, but her cries fell on deaf ears.

Tendrils of sand slid up to cover her mouth…to silence her permanently, but Sakura fought back. Using every ounce of her chakra, she fought the delusional young man in order to help the wounded animal.

"Gaara…I'm not Yashamaru!" she gasped. "I'd never hurt you! I just want to help you!"

"Liar!" he growled.

"I…would never lie to you!" she said strongly, her eyes filled with strength and determination.

It was ironic how it came before her death…

'_What…what am I doing? I don't want to hurt her…'_Gaara retreated into his mind, his heart beating erratically.

'_**She is like those who hurt you before! She's a damn liar!'**_

'_She hasn't lied to me yet…'_He stared at Sakura. She was losing consciousness, and slipping fast.

'_**Don't' trust her you fool! Kill her!**_

'_No. I can't. That's the one thing I can't bring myself to do.'_ Gaara clenched his fists.

"Never…"

Sakura's face paled as she was strangled of her final breaths, and it was then, and only then…Gaara set her free. His eyes darkened as he realized what he had done. The only woman who had exposed her true self to him…who had treated him as an individual…it felt so strange…he knew it had to be right.

"Gaara…" she panted.

Gaara looked up in response to his name, and experimentally, touched her hand.

"Death…is not becoming of you," he said simply.

Sakura's cheeks pinkened as she regained her strength, and smiled, tears glistening in her eyes.

'_Love is the cure…' _she thought. _'Do I…really…--'_

Gaara interrupted her thoughts.

"I don't remember a time when I wasn't lonely…when I didn't long to be loved," he frowned, and focused his eyes on the moon again.

"Temari and Kankuro...they never understood. They got to see the better side of father…they weren't cursed by their mother…"

Sakura stared out with him while attempting to keep her balance on the roof. Every time she moved, she got closer to falling off the edge. The rain splattered harder around them, and Sakura shivered.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "But… will you please tell me what happened to make you this way?"

Sakura asked, about to slip off the roof.

Gaara watched Sakura squirm in out of the corner of his eye, and stared at his hands before outstretching one to pull her up.

"It's…a very long story…" he uttered sorrowfully, for the first time, showing her the full extent of his sadness.

Sakura stared in awe at his hand for a moment before taking it, and threw herself against him for a hug she knew heart and soul that he wouldn't return. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she remembered how he'd told her he hated crying girls just hours before.

"Oh Gaara…" she whispered, inhaling his scent.

He was clean for once….

…and she cried anyway.

Gaara's cheeks pinkened ever so slightly, invisible to Sakura in the darkness. The warmth of her skin burned him at first, but then reminded him of something beautiful.

And yet…unattainable.

He cursed himself mentally.

"What the hell are you doing?" Gaara blurted gruffly, arms stiff at his sides.

Sakura smiled through her tears, more thankful to be alive than anything.

"Giving you love," she mumbled into his shirt.

Gaara closed his eyes, but didn't respond to the hug. Instead, he absorbed the warmth of her body, and sighed heavily. Reluctantly, he pulled away and forced a frown onto his lips.

"Well, do _yourself _a favor and take it back."

Sakura detached herself almost immediately, and put her hands at her sides.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, and then bowed her head.

Gaara watched the raindrops splatter hard against her hair and tint it a darker shade. The strands went limp, sticking to her cheeks, wet with mostly tears.

"We should go in..." she muttered, and jumped down from the roof.

Gaara watched her fall, landing on her knees in the mud. It amazed Gaara that so easily and quickly Sakura had become careless…

He followed suit, but landed on his feet, protected from mud by his shield of sand. Sakura looked back as she opened the door, and held it for Gaara. He brushed past, wet and seemingly shivering. Out of nowhere, he let out a loud sneeze.

"Bless you," Sakura handed him a towel from the bathroom, and Gaara surprised her by taking it gently instead of snatching.

"This is your fault," he sniffled. "If you hadn't stayed out on the roof for so long—

"—you could have left," Sakura stared him straight in the eye, intent on standing her ground.

A few moments before, she had been so close to making a breakthrough. She wasn't going to drop it all now just because he wanted to pick up a pissy attitude.

Gaara gave no response. Instead, he merely dried his hair with the towel, leaving it tousled and spiky atop his head. Sakura used her palm to smooth it down, uncaring about his protests. However, once more he surprised her by saying nothing.

"You could have left, but you stayed there…beside me," Sakura's hand trembled, and along with it her lower lip.

Gaara observed Sakura. She was on the brink of tears. Again.

The bigger part of him consumed by Shukaku wanted to smack her, to crush her for being such a baby, but there was a little nagging thing he could only presume was his conscious that wanted him to comfort her.

'_What am I supposed to do here?' _Gaara thought angrily.

'**_While she's this weak, just crush her with the sand!' _**Shukaku demanded.

'**_Talk to her.'_** The voice of reason spoke at last.

'**_What the hell is this!' _**Shukaku demanded.

'_Is this…my conscience?' _Gaara asked himself, bewildered.

'**_You've buried me for so long Gaara. It seems…you've begun thinking with your heart. You're on the way to—_**

'—_**shut the hell up! Gaara! Listen to me now! I've always taken care of you!'**_

'_Shukaku…?'_

'**_Gaara…listen to me. I am you. I'm everything you've ever wanted to do but couldn't. BECAUSE of Shukaku.'_**

'_I don't…understand.'_

"Gaara?" Sakura patted his cheek softly to bring Gaara out of his trance.

Angrily, he stared down at her, but didn't make a move.

"Woman," he grunted.

Sakura removed her hand from his face, and looked down at it to verify that the symbols were still there. They were, but every so slightly, they were fading. Sakura guessed that they would only have about a day or so left.

"Hnh. It seems silly that I should help someone who's incapable to tell me what they really want from this. Someone who has been far less than hospitable to me…"her voice cracked as she spoke.

Gaara remained silent.

"I know I…I cry a lot…but I can't help it. I just…I'm….."

Sakura balled her fists, and sobbed.

"I…I'm…"

"What?" he snapped.

"I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" she shouted.

Gaara's eyes widened as he heard her, and his breath came in fast, gasping pants. Almost immediately, he grabbed at his head, groaning in agony. Sakura caught her breath quickly, and rushed to his side. Saliva trickled down the side of his mouth, and his teeth gnashed together repeatedly. Sakura could tell he was in excruciating pain.

"Gaara!" she shrieked.

"Why?" Gaara blurted suddenly, and calmed his breathing.

His eyes were wide with rage, and as he came towards her, it only seemed to increase. Sakura stayed standing before him, quivering slightly.

"Why are you worried about me? **Why…do…you….care?**"he growled.

Sakura could hear his voice deepening slightly, and backed up.

"I don't know why. I…shouldn't," she spoke, more to herself than him.

Gaara took three steps towards her, still clutching his head.

"You make me feel this pain…because you're a liar like all the rest!" he yelled.

Livid, Gaara flung his sand into all corners of the house, knocking over couches, tables and chairs. Sakura screamed for him to stop, mostly in fear of her life, but found herself coming closer to him.

"I'd never lie to you! I told you that already! Because unlike you, I know how to trust others!" Sakura barked right back.

Gaara's breathing slowed, but his eyes still shone with anger and sadness.

"You may see that as a weakness, but I know you want Shukaku out so you can have a chance at life! You want to be loved, and you want to love others!" She matched his three steps so they were nose to nose.

"Gaara… it's not a weakness," she whispered. "We can help each other. I know you believe you're incapable of it…but you can love just like Temari can, like Kankuro can, like Naruto can…like…I can," she pressed a hand over his heart, wet and warm.

Gaara stared down at it in shock, and began to hiccup softly in his throat. Sakura watched as he bowed his head, and closed his eyes tightly. It was obvious he was withholding tears. Slowly, she enveloped him in a hug.

"You don't understand…Sakura…" he whispered into her ear, and before she knew it, Sakura was embracing sand.

It fell away from her body and hit the floor as Gaara disappeared. Slowly, it came together in letters that formed a message.

**Prepare your sacrifice and meet me tomorrow at midnight in the woods behind the apartment. Bring the seven scrolls. **

Sakura fell to the floor, crushed, and sifted the sand through her fingers. She had come so close…twice. Not knowing about Gaara's past was killing her. Something tragic had to have happened to make him so cold, and without knowing what that was, she had no way of helping him.

"But why should I help him?" she sighed to herself.

Inside, the answer was obvious. She wanted to help Gaara because it was the right thing to do, and she couldn't help feeling that the deep-rooted loneliness he was feeling was something that they had in common. It was in her nature to help those who needed it, and though he was at times frightening…his presence made her feel secure.

"Please…someone help me…" Sakura whimpered.

'_**Confused about your little sacrifice choice?'**_ Inner Sakura spoke up suddenly, freezing Sakura in place.

'_It's you…you I want to get rid of, but I can't do it without eliminating myself.'_

'_**That's because I am you. Just face the facts…I'll be here forever, baby.'**_

'_No. Even if I can't save myself I must help Gaara-'_

'—_**Gaara, Gaara, Gaara! Once I get out of this body, I'll make sure I trap you, and get rid of that little badass idol you worship so much. I'll spill your blood and his…'**_

'_Blood?'_

Sakura stared at her arms for a long while before making a decision.

"My blood…." She groped for her kunai, and darted all over the kitchen for some kind of holding container.

'_I have to do this! I must!'_ she panted erratically as she searched, emotionally broken.

'**_You don't have the guts…'_** inner Sakura taunted.

Sakura emptied her mind as best as she could, and stared into the eyes of her other half. Inner Sakura was ramming her body against a closed door that had symbols identical to the ones on her arms. The door was keeping her from getting out, but also causing her anger to build.

'**_That's right! I'm getting stronger and stronger as you keep me locked up in here! Those seals are wearing off already! That proves how weak you are!'_**

Sakura knocked over the phone on the kitchen table as she grabbed for an empty flower vase and set it before her. Tears streamed her cheeks once again.

'**_Don't you ever run out of tears, girl! Just accept the fact that I'll be bursting out of here soon enough, and maybe I'll share some of my power with you!'_**

"No! I'm just as tired of this as Gaara is, and I'll prove once and for all I'm not a baby! I'm going to make this sacrifice!" her hands shook as she held the blade, but in one swift movement, Sakura brought it down into her stomach, twisting to avoid her organs.

"Guuuu…" she moaned in pain.

'**_You idiot! You can't do this!'_**

A slow smile spread across her lips, and she winced.

'_Oh yes I can…'_

She leaned over the vase and coughed up beads of blood and tissue.

'_I never expected it to hurt so much…'_ Sakura thought drowsily, sliding the vase forward to catch the rivulets of blood trickling from around the kunai lodged within her.

'_Enough blood and it'll be just like…like I gave up my body…I…I need more…' _she stared at the crimson substance coating the bottom of the vase, and wrenched the kunai from her gut.

"Gah!" blood forced its way out of her stomach and into the vase, spewing from her mouth as well as she vomited.

The vase filled more quickly than Sakura had anticipated, and the room began to swirl before her eyes. Somnolent with the loss of blood, she felt around the floor wildly for her healing scrolls, but everything was a blur.

'_Oh no I…where did I put them?' _sakura groaned in pain and frustration.

Every time she moved her body, more blood pooled out, causing her to slump to the floor in exhaustion. Slowly, her eyes rotated within their sockets inadvertently, scanning the room.

"Oughaaraa…" Sakura released a final moan of anguish before her eyes froze, focused on the ceiling, and her body went rigid.

'**_Ku, ku, ku, ku, ku… foolish girl…'

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_**

A/N: Wah, I'm getting used to writing such long chapters, so just be expecting them from now on, lol. I want to thank all of my reviewers so far, it's good to know that you guys like the story. Just keep dropping me lines and I'll be sure to continue! Anyway, read, review, and observe next chapter's preview! (Rhyming is fun!)

**Chapter 8 Preview**

_Gaara dropped the dead raccoon in the center of the circle emotionlessly, his hands coated with blood. Sakura looked up at him, seeing double. Her eyes were rimmed with black, and she resembled him. _

"_You got out, then?" he grunted._

"_I'm still hurting…" Sakura croaked. _

_Gaara tried not to look affected by the sound of pain in her voice, but found himself feeling nauseated. _

"_Do you have your sacrifice?" the tone of his voice went down a notch, and Sakura nodded weakly._

_With one hand, she drew the glass vase from her pack, and removed the wax lid she had placed on it for safekeeping. Gaara's eyes widened and he stared at her in shock. _

"_Let's do it…" Sakura coughed.

* * *

_

"_I don't see why we have to walk all this way in disguises just to find that ungrateful little son-of-a—_

"—_Kankuro!" Temari growled. _

_Kankuro shrank, and looked back and forth quickly._

"_What? What? Is it Gaara?"_

_Temari clenched her fists, and frowned. _

"_No, you idiot. Just keep your mouth shut and keep walking. Something's up, and we have to find Gaara before the hidden leaf does decides to slit his throat..."_

_Kankuro shifted Crow on his back, and sighed._

"_Hey, don't scold me, sister. I just don't see why we're wasting our time like this. Gaara's obviously shirked his duties and run away from home."_

_Temari shook her head._

"_There's something wrong. He didn't look right when I last saw him, and there's no way he'd just pick up and run like that. We have to find him…and soon."

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_


	8. Sacrifice

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter eight: Sacrifice

* * *

Kankuro and Temari slumped tiredly across the desert sands, their clothes blowing every which way in the hot and muggy breezes. Even though it was nearly ten o' clock at night, the desert heat was relentless. Their attempt to bring their brother back to Suna was already wearing on their nerves. Not only did they have to sneak out, but they also had to keep low profiles to avoid rousing too much suspicion. 

Temari was wearing black pocketed shorts and a dark green t-shirt contrary to her previous outfits, and had her fan strapped to her back, wrapped tightly in black fabric. A false handle had been crafted to stick out of the top, creating the illusion of a guillotine type sword. Her hair was out of its usual four pigtails and combed down. The frizzy blonde strands were a difficult matter, caked with flying sand.

Kankuro was dressed in black jeans and a long sleeved shirt which he realized immediately was a poor choice of disguise for a Sunagakure escape attempt. His face paint was vacant from his cheeks and eyes, and even his hood was gone. His hair was a disheveled mess, glued to his forehead with sweat, but at least no one would be able to recognize him. Crow was shut up in a saxophone case that was wearing heavy on his shoulders as he walked.

"I don't see why we have to walk all this way in disguises just to find that ungrateful little son-of-a—

"—Kankuro!" Temari growled.

Kankuro shrank, and looked back and forth quickly.

"What? What? Is it Gaara?"

Temari clenched her fists, and frowned.

"No, you idiot. Just keep your mouth shut and keep walking. Something's up, and we have to find Gaara before the hidden leaf does decides to slit his throat..."

Kankuro shifted Crow on his back, and sighed.

"Hey, don't scold me, sister. I just don't see why we're wasting our time like this. Gaara's obviously shirked his duties and run away from home."

"There's no way. When I saw him last he didn't look right. We need to find him….and soon," Temari sighed.

Kankuro snorted.

"That brat…." He whispered to himself. "In my heart I thought he had changed. And that day…I cried for him."

* * *

"Oh man, oh man, I'm late for my first shift! If Sasuke finds out…." Naruto muttered to himself as he jumped from tree to tree, intent on getting to Sakura's apartment as quickly as possible. 

It was late at night, and the Ichiraku restaurant had been open until midnight with a special sale that Naruto just couldn't resist.

"Oh…I'm so stupid…but the ramen was soooo good!" he frowned, and made a landing on Sakura's front porch.

'_Okay, she said she didn't want to be disturbed, so I'll do a quiet scan.' _Naruto thought cheerfully, and crept around to the side window.

Bathroom….check!

Bedroom…checks again!

Kitchen….super check!

Naruto wandered around to the other side, and he stopped abruptly in front of the half open window. The acrid scent of blood carried itself outside, and flooded his nostrils. Frantic, Naruto flung open the window the whole way, and raced into the living room.

Sakura was sprawled out in the middle of the floor, blood pooling rapidly around her from a large gash in her middle.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto cried, and rushed to her side.

With tears in his eyes, he pried the kunai from her stiff hands, and felt for a pulse. There were several slow thumps that vibrated against Naruto's ear as he pressed it against her chest.

"Oh Sakura…Sakura!" Naruto shook her shoulder gently, trying to get her to say something, anything at all.

Sakura's eyes moved slightly from their fixed position on the ceiling, and stared at a spot over Naruto's shoulder.

"Ahhra…touhh" she groaned ever so softly.

Intent on getting her help, Naruto pulled her, the blood filled vase, and the kunai into his arms, and made a run for Tsunade's office. As he moved, Sakura's bleeding became heavier, but the most he could do was cover the wound with his palm. However, the more he tried, the more Sakura would groan, making her mere existence agony.

"Naruto…" she choked blood, her lips turning a cracked crimson color.

Naruto's eyes watered as he heard her voice, riddled with pain.

"Don't speak," he nuzzled her cheek as he threw himself towards Tsunade's.

He caught the fifth just as she was locking up her supplies for the night, and charged straight through the closed window for her. Glass shards went scattering everywhere. Tsunade almost fell backward at the shock of seeing the bloody ninja in her path.

"Naruto! What happened here!" she dropped her keys and took Sakura into her arms, setting her on the only cot available in the office.

Naruto was breathless, and could barely find the words to explain. With a frightened look, Tsunade felt for her former apprentice's pulse.

"It's weak. Dammit, Naruto, what happened!" Tsunade was firm this time.

Naruto clenched his fists at his sides, and growled.

"It had to be Gaara! I walked in and found her like this on the floor! Blood everywhere!" he shouted, tears streaming down his blood speckled cheeks.

Tsunade's eyes darted from Naruto to Sakura, filled with worry and curiosity. Gently, she pulled up the side of Sakura's shirt and inspected the wound more closely.

"It looks like a small blade made the wound…but it was twisted rather violently…" Tsunade's hands glowed a fiery green with chakra, and she spoke with her eyes closed.

Shaken, Naruto pulled the vase and kunai from his jacket. The spilt blood was running down his front and filled the room with its choking scent.

"Th-this is the weapon! He must have cut her with this!" Naruto shoved the kunai towards Tsunade, and watched her examine it closely.

Slowly, she picked up Sakura's hand and placed the kunai in it. With dark eyes, Tsunade made a false stabbing motion towards Sakura's stomach to where the wound was.

'_Self inflicted…'_ she thought gravely, and then looked at Naruto.

"What are you doing! SAVE HER!" he shouted in anger and frustration.

Tsunade spied the half full vase of blood, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Where did that come from!" she demanded.

Naruto set the vase on the counter and wiped his hands on the back of his pants.

"It was with her! That bastard was probably trying to steal her blood! It has chakra he could use!"

"Right…" said Tsunade, unconvinced. With a sigh, she put her hands over Sakura's wound, and sent green chakra flowing throughout the young woman's body.

Throughout the process, Sakura groaned and cried out in pain, causing Naruto to pace and pull at his hair. Every time he heard her cry out, it felt as if his heart was being torn in two, little by little.

"Why is it hurting! Is it supposed to hurt!" he yelled, frantic.

Tsunade lifted Sakura's shirt further, and saw what she expected. Various swirls of extraction were painted on her body.

'_Damn idiot.' _She thought angrily, and then turned Naruto.

"Get out of here!" She snapped. "Go and tell Kakashi to come immediately!"

Before Naruto had time to yell in protest, he saw Sakura's hand twitch. He had to protect the one he loved. Heart and soul.

"Right!" he wiped his tears, and took off through the broken window.

Tsunade shook her head, and stopped her healing. Aggravated, she pounded her fist against the wall, making a rather large indentation. Sakura moaned loudly in pain. Her wound was smaller, but still open and bleeding.

"Though you were smart…huh?" Tsunade whispered to the barely conscious young woman before her.

"You just barely missed your liver, Sakura…" she chided. "You idiot…"

Sakura's eyes closed suddenly, and Tsunade spotted light tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Sakura…" Tsunade whispered, and pressed the head of a needle into Sakura's arm. The morphine slowly made its way in, and Tsunade began to gauze and bandage the wound.

* * *

Naruto ran as fast as he could for Kakashi's, uncaring of whose path he crossed. In fact, he barely even noticed when he ran Sasuke down. 

"Watch it do….be." Sasuke caught sight of the massive amount of blood smeared on Naruto's shirt, and his eyes widened.

"What the hell is this?" he blurted, glaring at the blonde.

"I can't talk! I need Kakashi!" Naruto began to start off again, but Sasuke blocked the path.

"He's not home! Tell me what the hell's going on, dobe… and I'll tell you where he is..." he smirked.

Naruto swung forward and before Sasuke could react, punched him across the face. The dark haired Chuunin fell to the ground, bleeding from the mouth. Naruto's eyes darkened substantially, and he growled aloud. It was obvious he wasn't in the mood for Sasuke.

"You jackass! Sakura's in trouble and you're playing games!" he shouted, gnashing his teeth together.

Sasuke's rage was fueled by the simple statement.

"S…Sakura!" he shouted.

"YEAH! I know you don't give a rat's ass about her, but I want to keep her from dying! Tell me where Kakashi is! NOW!" Naruto fumed.

Sasuke could see that the blonde was one hare's breath away from releasing the power of the Kyuubi, and suddenly decided to straighten himself up.

"Kakashi's at the Ichiraku. Let's go," Sasuke said firmly, and ran for the noodle shop.

Inside, his heart and mind were racing. The thought of Sakura dying was too much for him, even if he wasn't completely sure why. She had always been his. His personal fan-girl…his unnecessary support…his toy…his…possession. As he thought about it, he could feel his own anger building.

Just as the two approached Ichiraku, Kakashi was heading out. The older man didn't look as though he had eaten, but that was the last thing on either chuunin's mind. In one great bound, the blonde knocked Kakashi off his feet and onto the ground.

"Ugh Naruto! What the—

Kakashi cut himself off as he saw the blood all over Naruto's front, and Sasuke's troubled features. For them to be like this, he knew something was terribly wrong. Suddenly, a pink haired Genin prodded into his thoughts.

"Sakura. What's happened to Sakura?" he blurted in alarm.

Naruto shook his head wildly, trying desperately not to cry. There was no time.

"Follow me! NOW!" he growled, and took off on all fours.

Kakashi and Sasuke met each other's gazes, but Sasuke had nothing to say to the Jounin. He was just as much in the dark as Kakashi.

"Trouble," Sasuke managed to utter, before disappearing in a flash of black and blue.

Hanging his head, Kakashi followed suit in a puff of smoke. Naruto burst into Tsunade's office first, with Kakashi and Sasuke in toe. The fifth lifted her head and gave the grey haired Jounin a serious look.

"Whats going on?" he asked flatly, stepping in front of Naruto.

Sakura lay bleary eyed on the cot, the sheets damp and dark with her blood. On the bedside table was a vase filled three quarters of the way with more of the crimson substance.

"Sakura!" Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes wide with anger and distress. "What the hell—

"—I'm afraid this is a private matter, I'll have to ask you two to stay outside for a moment," Tsunade gestured towards Naruto and Sasuke.

"What! You're kidding! She just woke up! There's no way I'm going—

Sasuke clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth, and breathed a heavy sigh. Though he wanted nothing more than to find out what had happened, Sasuke knew well enough that it wasn't going to be revealed if they were standing right there in the room. Something suspicious was happening…and he could feel it in his bones.

"Let's step out _Naruto…_" Sasuke stared Naruto straight in the eyes, and the blonde caught on quickly, though it was hard to keep the frown off of his lips.

"Whatever," he pushed away from Sasuke, and ran out into the waiting room.

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to look discreet as he stepped out.

Tsunade tore her gaze away from the Chuunin and back to Kakashi with great haste. On the bed, Sakura stirred once more.

"She tried to extract inner Sakura from body," Tsunade said bluntly, but Kakashi's expression didn't change.

With a soft sigh, the fifth made her way to the medicine cabinet, and unlocked the box containing the seven scrolls. Gingerly, she picked one out and held it up. Kakashi's visible eye quickly widened.

"Oh! The seven scrolls of sealing and extraction. But how could she perform the jutsu and extraction without the scrolls?" he reached for the scroll, but Tsunade pulled it back.

"They're fakes," she said in anger, and whipped open the scroll to reveal the blank parchment. "You see, it looks normal now, but when you use chakra to reveal the writing…"

Kakashi watched as Tsunade focused chakra into her pinky, and moved it in a swirling motion on the paper. Slowly, a message came into view. It was from Sakura.

_Tsunade-sama, if you're reading this, you already know that I've taken the seven scrolls. Please don't worry. What I'm doing is the best for us. I can't live this anymore. I'll prove my strength and existence. You'll see._

_-- Sakura_

Kakashi took the scroll parchment into his fist and crumpled it in frustration. As he stared down at his former student he was overcome with a mix of anger and sadness. He hadn't trained Sakura to be so reckless, but when he really thought about it, he hadn't trained her very much at all.

"Prove her existence…" Kakashi whispered to himself and then cursed under his breath.

"What?" Tsunade asked while dumping the fake scrolls into the garbage.

"Sabaku no Gaara. He…he always sought for a way to prove his existence…but by killing others. It seems she's taken a lesson from him, in the worst way. I never trained Sakura as hard as Naruto or Sasuke, and the truth is that I should have trained her harder. She's a young woman, and the odds are already against her. I—

"—it was fuel to the fire…but not the main cause, Kakashi. It seems to me she's always had self esteem problems. From what I've heard, her parents never wanted her to become a Shinobi in the first place. All they could hear was cooking, cleaning and wedding plans." Tsunade craned her neck towards the waiting area and was able to feel the presence of Naruto and Sasuke easily.

Neither was masking their chakra, but at that point, it didn't matter.

"Her hopes and dreams weren't really in being a Shinobi…a weapon or a tool…she only wanted—

"—to belong…" Sakura's voice invaded the conversation, and before any of them could blink, Naruto rushed back in.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" he shouted, and resisted the urge to swallow her up in a bear hug.

"…Naruto…" the pink haired kunoichi responded softly, and forced herself to sit up.

Sasuke was next into the room, leaning against the back wall. It was taking near all his strength not to chastise her, but at the moment, he felt as if he didn't even know her.

"I'd like to thank you for this care Tsunade, but I must…I must…" Sakura swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and was instantly overcome with pain and nausea.

"Get back in bed Sakura-chan!" Naruto blocked her leave by looping an arm beneath hers.

Tsunade folded her arms over her chest, and picked up the vase full of blood.

"Was this your sacrifice?" She demanded.

Sakura let her eyes drop to the floor and took several deep breaths.

"Was it!"

"Tsunade, I never meant to anger you. I just—

"—if Gaara's making you do this Sakura, just say the word and I'll kill him!" Naruto grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently.

"No…" Sakura pushed him away. This is for me and me alone."

"But still, you're doing this with him. You must be. There's no way with your lack of chakra that you'd be able to unlock all these scrolls," Tsunade gave a frustrated sigh.

Sakura pulled down the front of her shirt and revealed the seals on her shoulders and back.

"I wouldn't risk **all this** for nothing you guys. I'm going to prove that once and for all…I'm not weak. I can do this by myself," she stared at the vase, and then the wound in her stomach.

"You need stitches, you need bed rest, and you need help, Sakura. You're not going anywhere." Sasuke stepped up, and crossed over to her side of the bed.

Tsunade nodded and folded her arms across her chest.

Sakura growled, and clutched at her head.

"I get it! You all want me to fail, don't you!" she cried. "You just want me to die like this!"

The pain in her voice caused the office to fall silent, and everyone instantly fought the urge to say more. No one knew much about what could happen if she released her inner Sakura under such duress. The strain on her body could put her in a permanent coma, or possibly worse.

From across the room Kakashi made the first move back towards her, his expression stern.

"We all want nothing more than to assure your happiness Sakura, but you stole from the hokage in order to pursue a life threatening and dare I say, faulty solution to your inner problems," Kakashi said, his gaze cold and unwavering.

Sakura was silent. Quietly, she took slow and easy breaths to steady herself, and rolled back onto the cot. From her wound, more blood stained the sheets and caused her to cry out.

"This was my chance," she voiced softly, turning her back on the group.

Sasuke's onyx eyes roamed over her body, and then fell on her hair. Sakura's pink locks hung limply over her shoulders, and fell into her dull green eyes. They were dampened with sweat and blood, but as he came closer, it was easy to see what else.

"Sand." He murmured, rousing Sakura from her stupor.

She kept her eyes on the wall opposite of them, but Sasuke could tell that one word bothered her.

"Extraction jutsus are complicated Sakura. Usually only hokage and high level Jounin can handle it. You just don't have the stamina," Tsunade's voice softened as she crouched at Sakura's side.

Sasuke's eyes darkened as he watched the scene and thought of Gaara. That smug bastard was probably miles away, merely scoffing at Sakura's misfortune.

Next to him, Sasuke could feel Naruto's rage building, but the blonde did a remarkable job of keeping himself quiet. Slowly, tears began to run down his cheeks once more.

"From the looks of these markings, you were able to unlock the first scroll. However, opening all six at once…by yourself…" Tsunade chided. "You can't do it."

"But she's not doing it by herself…right Sakura?" Sasuke asked coldly.

Sakura hung her head, and then shook it in disgust. There was no point in hiding the truth any longer. Her story and her plans were unraveling, bit by bit.

"Sabaku no Gaara and I have a deal," she sighed softly in defeat.

"Damn it Sakura!" Tsunade slammed her fist on the coffee table in frustration.

"You're taking up with a missing nin!" Kakashi was as equally quick to jump in, but Sakura didn't even bother flinching.

The whole process was making her dizzy, and along with her wound, it was a dangerous combination. Inside, she could feel Inner Sakura ramming at the locked door within her soul and as Sakura was getting farther from what she watned, inner Sakura simply got closer. The seals were rubbing away, and the beginning of a child's drawing was bleeding through.

'_What is this? I didn't draw this…'_ Sakura retreated further into her mind, trying to touch the picture.

However, behind her she could hear the muffled voices of her comrades. They were calling out to her, but Sakura was compelled to see the drawing. Inner Sakura refused to stop ramming her body though she was bleeding and bruised. And for the first time, Sakura observed her fully. The "demon" within her was struggling and it seemed that tears were flowing down her cheeks.

'_Sakura? Inner Sakura?' _

'_**Let me out!' **_she demanded, letting out a horrible shriek.

Instantly, Sakura was thrown back into the real world, and her body convulsed as she "fell." (A/n: like when you have one of those dreams, you know?)

"Sakura!" Tsunade was leaning over Sakura with a quizzical look on her face.

"I can't live like this…" Sakura croaked. She was sure she looked repulsive.

The blood on her lips was cracked and rubbed into the pillow as she spoke.

"You can't risk your life like this either. Especially with a potential missing nin!" Tsunade shouted harshly. "Gaara didn't alert anyone of his leave, and we have to treat the situation with much care! Who knows what his real intentions are?"

"I know!" Sakura snapped right back, but with a sigh, she lowered her voice. "He wants to be normal again." She took a long pause. "Shukaku's back."

Sasuke stood with his arms folded across his chest, unwavering. Kakashi and Tsunade lowered her eyes while Naruto couldn't hold back any longer. It was evident to her that even they had to feel some sadness for the boy from Suna.

"How is that possible? Old lady Chiyo gave her life for him, and that thing was gone!" he blurted.

Sakura locked eyes with Naruto and smiled wistfully.

"Chiyo…was a strong woman, but it seems Shukaku was stronger. Gaara's uncomforted fears and anxieties much like my own created an opening for evil…" she said grimly, and closed her eyes as she spoke. "Things like this take time to create, and even longer to exterminate. They eat us alive from the inside, and we cannot contain it any longer!"

Sakura's speech struck a nerve with Naruto, and he nodded solemnly.

"You **can't** live like this Sakura," he whispered. "Neither can Gaara. But there has to be another way. I have to say that the fifth's right. You don't have the stamina for this job."

"You still don't get it! There is no other way! I've--" she cried, but was unable to finish.

A kunai was thrown across the room and was lodged in the wall opposite the cot. It made its mark right over her head.

"Hush yourself!" Sasuke blurted suddenly, and the room fell silent once more.

"Sasuke-teme—

"—that means you too, dobe!" he growled arrogantly at Naruto, and then faced Sakura with disdain.

"If she's opened one of the six scrolls, what else is necessary?" he frowned at Sakura although the question was targeted at Tsunade.

"She _and Gaara…_" she started with a warning tone. "Must open the rest of the scrolls simultaneously and give sacrifices that represent their inner demons in order to make exchange."

"All six!" Naruto jumped in.

"Surely you see why Sakura cannot continue, Sasuke." Kakashi pulled one hand out of his pocket, and let it hang limply by his side. The Icha-Icha paradise book was nowhere to be found. Even he knew what a serious situation Sakura was in.

"I see it," Sasuke nodded emotionlessly. "But she doesn't. All she longs for is to prove her existence, like Gaara. She's been around him too long."

"That's not true!" Sakura blushed.

"That bastard…he's rubbing off on her with his notions of completion and hatred. Sakura doesn't need that. She needs safety." he ordered

"Damn you!" Sakura growled, her anger getting the better of her.

"…what we must do is propose an intervention," Sasuke continued, and Sakura lunged from the cot with newfound strength.

"Damn you to hell Sasuke!" She cried as she keeled over on the floor in front of him. "Damn you to hell!"

Sasuke watched her with cold eyes, but then was compelled to help her back to her feet. Gently, he pulled her closer.

"It's for your own good, Sakura-chan," he smiled against her earlobe and whispered so that only she could hear. "Believe me…"

Sakura froze up in his hold and coughed blood onto the front of his shirt. Sasuke placed her on the cot gently, and stepped away as if nothing had happened. He hated to see her in such a pathetic state.

"Stitches! She needs stitches or she'll bleed out!" Naruto hollered.

Tsunade shook her head, but Sakura was the one to provide the explanation.

"She can't. The wound's been open and exposed to air and bacteria for too long. If I have an infection, sutures could make it worse. Gestation won't take long." She croaked.

Tsunade nodded to reassure the rest.

"I'll give her some more morphine and start her on an IV, but this isn't the clinic so there's only so much I can do. I have limited supplies in my office," Tsunade admitted, touching two fingers to her forehead.

Kakashi watched as she gathered pink chakra to her thumb and middle finger, and then drew both fingers down from Sakura's forehead to her toes.

"What's that?" Naruto asked frantically as Sakura's eyes suddenly snapped closed.

"Genjutsu. Sakura will be in a trance. She won't be able to decipher her thoughts and desires from what's really going on around her. For a while, she'll be immobile." Tsunade looked around the room, and her eyes locked with Naruto's. She could see the pain he was feeling, and sighed openly.

"It's for her own good Naruto. This way she won't be tempted to mix up with Gaara, or hurt herself in any way."

"I'm beginning to think that maybe we were wrong though. Maybe this is her only chance! What's the worst that could happen?" Naruto begged.

"Opening all six scrolls takes a tremendous amount of chakra and excellent control. Even with Gaara, the chances of a successful opening are slim to none. She'll drain herself of energy and be vulnerable to attack. Plus, with this wound, she's much more than likely to die."

Sasuke nodded content with the explanation.

"I believe this is the only adequate solution at this time. Naruto and I can gather up a few more Chuunin to search and apprehend Gaara—

"—but from the way Sakura explains it, Gaara isn't the problem! He needs help too!" Naruto lashed out towards Sasuke, but then retracted.

"Listen, I know Gaara. I was there was Chiyo saved him. He was a different guy then. He made a turn around—

"—he hurt Sakura!"

"It's Shukaku! The demon inside him! That's what made him do it!"

"How do you know he's not lying?"

"What could he possibly gain!"

"Naruto you don't understand—

"—no Sasuke, **you **don't under stand!" Naruto lunged forward, and swung a punch at the dark haired Chuunin. However, Sasuke caught it easily.

"Stop this Naruto…." He grunted with a shaking hold on Naruto's fist.

"Sasuke…you…don't understand. I know what it feels like to be feared…" Naruto growled. "To never love or be loved. I had the luck to meet Iruka sensei and have him give me a sense of self-worth, but Gaara never had that! That day when Chiyo gave her life, he changed! I swear! Now, if he's done something wrong, it has to be the fault of Shukaku! At this point of his life, Gaara wouldn't risk all this for nothing!"

"So what do you suggest we do dobe!" Sasuke let go of Naruto's fist angrily.

"Yes Naruto, even I'd like to hear that," Tsunade folded her arms across her chest, awaiting the blonde's explanation.

Naruto stood over Sakura, and frowned. His body quivered and quaked as he took her hand and braved the group.

"We should wake her up, and let her go. Let her try," he sniffled. "We can follow her and maybe—

"—maybe what?" Kakashi interrupted. "Naruto, this is far too dangerous for her."

"For her?" he remarked. "But would you say the same to us…to Sasuke and me?"

Kakashi looked down, ashamed. He had always 'baby-sat' Sakura, and the result was a woman who was lacking in strength, and at the moment, proper mental capacity. He couldn't help but feel that he had made her this way, but he knew that now wasn't the time to make ends meet so drastically.

"You're right Naruto, I wouldn't. However, this isn't the right time to look back at the past and criticize ourselves for things done wrong. This is our chance to do something right for Sakura. And that's to keep her safe." Kakashi said shortly.

"Isn't that what you want?" Sasuke pressed.

After a long moment of silence, Naruto gave a frustrated groan, and took off through the window he had broken earlier. Quickly, he disappeared into the night. Tsunade, Sasuke and Kakashi stood around Sakura's cot helplessly, thinking in silence about possible temporary solutions.

* * *

"Look, we're on vacation. We've come to hang out at the Konoha hot springs. Just let us in!" Temari was far from keeping her cool as she snapped one of the Jounin guarding the gate to leaf village. 

Kankuro wiped his brow with the back of his hand and sighed heavily as he watched his sister argue with the taller man. It was getting late at night, and they couldn't spend all day at the Konoha gate.

"No, **you **look. If you don't have the appropriate paperwork, or pass cards for traveling from country to country, I simply can't let you in," he said firmly. "Now if you go back and get approval you can—

"—blah-dy, blah, blah, blah! Just make an exception!" Temari interrupted.

"Why don't you take your attitude elsewhere?" the guard countered.

Temari's fingers twitched eagerly. She was just itching to take out her fan and knock this guy into next Tuesday, but she figured that wouldn't qualify as keeping a low profile.

With a sigh, Temari flipped a clump of her sweaty, frizzy puff-ball hair over her shoulder, and tried to look appealing.

"Fine. What do you say I give you an offer you can't refuse?" she grinned, pressing her breasts against the man's arm.

Kankuro groaned. Seeing his sister behave this way was pathetic, but when he saw the murderous glint in the man's eye, he knew that her silly façade could no longer continue.

"What about this then?" Kankuro stuck his hand into his pocket and rooted around for a moment until he found his wallet.

Temari smiled broadly and watched as Kankuro flashed the leather pouch.

"How about a little cash up front to let us in?" he grinned.

The guard stared at them monotonously, and sighed.

"Ha." He snorted.

"Well then, maybe my friend Abe Lincoln can persuade you…" Kankuro grinned.

"You're going to bribe me with a couple of ten dollar bills?" the guard crossed his arms over his chest with an incredulous smirk.

Temari waited expectantly and looked back and forth between the two. Kankuro smiled nervously.

"Actually, I've got a few pennies." He dumped the change on the ground with a sigh.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE MONEY, HUH!" Temari burst out in anger and punched her younger brother on the head.

"We left so fast, I forgot it! Lay off!" Kankuro shouted right back, nursing the lump on his head.

The guard rubbed his temples in annoyance, and prepared to shut the door on the two when Temari let out a shrill battle cry.

"Aiya! That's it! I'M TEMARI OF THE SAND! THAT MEANS I'M SUPER IMPORTANT, SO LET US IN!" she put her hair back into its usual four pigtails, and pulled the false sword handle out of her fan.

As soon as she did so, the fan broke loose of its bindings, and Temari caught it as it fell. With one fluid movement, she snapped the folds open and revealed all three purple dots inside.

The cyclonic gust of wind sent the guard flying backward at least ten feet, and he blinked rapidly to clear his eyes of the sand it had inadvertently carried along.

"Temari? Then you must be Kankuro of the sand!" he pointed.

With another small smirk, he wiped the blood from his lips and sat up. "I've heard that your brother Gaara is already here, but what's going on? Is this another one of the sand's pathetic attack attempts?"

Kankuro looked to his sister in disgust.

"You just had to make a scene…" he mumbled.

Temari blushed, but paid him little mind. Taking advantage of the opening, she ran forward through the gates, followed up by Kankuro. However, staring them down were six more Jounin who didn't look so happy to see them.

"Attack them!" The fallen guard ordered.

Kankuro waved his hands in protest.

"Temari, maybe we should just explain why—

"—bring it on!" Temari charged headstrong into the group, and swung her fan wildly. "Dai kamaitachi no jutsu!"

"Or we could make an even bigger scene…." With a groan, Kankuro shifted his case from his back and kicked it open.

Crow spun into the air and as it came down, Kankuro grabbed it and fastened it onto his back. There was no way he wanted part of that fight.

"They're disabled! Let's go!" Temari shouted suddenly, and grabbed her brother's arm.

Kankuro looked back towards the gate and saw three of the six Jounin charging after them. They both took off full speed into the forest.

"Disabled huh? Oh great, Temari! We don't even know where Gaara is and we're already being chased by leaf ninja! You and your damn reckless behavior!" Kankuro shouted as he desperately jumped from branch to branch to keep up with his rapidly moving older sister.

"Keep quiet back there, asshole!" she yelled, but gulped deep in her throat. Once again, she had acted to rashly, but at least, she mused…the search was on.

* * *

Naruto jumped from tree to tree as fast as possible until he reached Sakura's apartment. As he burst through the front door, he looked all over the ruined living room for some trace of Gaara. Instantly, he found sand all over the floor in the form of letters….almost a sentence However, he couldn't make out some of the words. It read: 

**Prepare sacrifice a t me trow midnight in the woods bd the rtment. Seven scrolls.**

Angrily, Naruto clenched his fist and slammed it against he floorboards. The message didn't make sense, and he needed to find Gaara in order to devise a proper solution. Naruto knew one thing and one thing only. He **was** going to get Sakura and Gaara together to perform the extraction. No matter how life threatening it was, he knew it would be his, Sasuke's, Kakashi's, and Tsunade's own choice if it came down to it. It wasn't right to short Sakura on the opportunity to live her life normally.

"Gaara! Where are you!" Naruto stood, and kicked at the sofa with tears in his eyes.

Just as he turned to head back out the door in defeat, a loud crash sounded from far away. However, as Naruto stood watching the brief and yet sporadic movement outside, the sound came closer… and closer… until—

"Dammit Temari!"

Sakura's living room windows were shattered as two ninja in disguise fell through the glass. Traveling at untraceable speed, they ended up knocking the window pane and part of the wall loose in their frenzy. Naruto let out a yell and rolled backwards into the kitchen as a giant fan flew towards him. Another crash sounded and the couch was suddenly overturned on the floor.

After a few moments, the dust in the room settled, and Naruto listened carefully. There was the sound of one person coughing, and then a few muttered curses.

"I told you not to go so fast Temari!"

"Well, at least we shook 'em off our tails!"

"Whatever."

"You're such a—

"—where the hell are we?"

Naruto's head shot up suddenly, and he jumped over the couch to get back into the living room.

"Temari? Kankuro?" he smiled. He was relieved to see the duo, although he was extremely confused.

"Naruto!" Kankuro and Temari looked back and forth between Naruto and each other before sighing.

"Long time no see, fox boy." Temari gave him a playful smirk.

Naruto blushed faintly, but shook it off as he thought of Sakura.

"Oh man! I'm glad I ran into you two!" he blurted suddenly.

Kankuro shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to look nonchalant.

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet that we uh…burst in on you…as well….Naruto. You see…our brother—

"—you remember Gaara!" Temari smiled nervously.

"Gaara! Yes!" Naruto smiled widely.

"I need to find him!"

"We need to find him!"

The two blurted simultaneously, and instantly, silence fell over the house.

"Look, right now it seems we have the same goal, so I'll first ask you if you know how to decode this message of sand! It's gotta be from Gaara, so consider this your first lead!" Naruto pointed at the words on the floor. They had been distorted even more by the crash.

Temari looked from Naruto to the floor seriously. She wanted nothing more than to find Gaara.

"It's my brother. His chakra. I can still feel it," she bent and sifted the sand through her fingers. "Kankuro, help me!"

Naruto watched as the two sand ninja bent and began maneuvering the sand around the room to form a complete sentence.

"The way Gaara used his sand for this message; there are levels of resistance in his chakra to show where the words form. He does this on purpose so it's easy to manipulate and control. If we use our chakra to pull the sand grains until they resist, they'll form the sentence!" Temari smirked and pressed her palm against the floor firmly.

Kankuro used two fingers to swirl the sand, and slowly the message was revealed.

**Prepare your sacrifice and meet me tomorrow at midnight in the woods behind the apartment. Bring the seven scrolls.**

"What?" Kankuro grunted as he read the words before him.

Naruto smiled in triumph. "Great! It's a good lead! We have an hour!" Excited, he jumped up and down rapidly.

"Wait a minute fox boy, what the hell is going on here? Sacrifices? Seven scrolls?" Temari put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, and held him steady.

Naruto snapped into realization, and stopped moving.

"Oh yeah! You don't know what Gaara and Sakura have been planning, so I'll tell you, on the way to the Tsunade's! Sakura's hurt!" Naruto exclaimed.

Quickly, he scanned the room until he found what he had been searching for in the first place. The seven scrolls. They were rolled carefully in one of the corners of the living room. Naruto bundled them up and shoved them beneath his shirt in a hurry.

"Let's go!" he gestured for the two ninja to follow him, and at that moment, they had no choice but to do so.

Temari gathered her fan and chased after Kankuro and Naruto, her mind on Gaara.

However, unbeknownst in the shadows behind the house, Gaara listened, and clenched his fists at the sound of Sakura's name.

'_So she's hurt…' _he thought bitterly, and sighed aloud.

In a whirl of sand, he took off towards the forest in the opposite direction to find his sacrifice.

'_This is getting bigger and bigger by the moment…but…she'll show. I know it.' _he hung his head and pressed forward.

'_She has to.'

* * *

_

"So my little brother and Sakura are both trying to help each other get rid of their demons!" Temari shouted over the noise of air whipping past her ears.

Naruto looked back and nodded.

"Yeah! But in order to do so, they have to use these things called the seven scrolls! It's a life or death mission, and they're both determined!"

"So what happened to Sakura? Why's she hurt?" Kankuro called out.

Naruto made a lunge for another tree branch, and then skidded to a stop as Tsunade's came into view.

"In order to use the scrolls to extract their demons, they need sacrifices that represent them. Gaara, I assume will sacrifice a raccoon because of Shukaku…but because inner Sakura **is** Sakura, she stabbed herself to gather enough blood. She's fairly weak at this moment, but still determined. Tsunade put her under some genjutsu so what I have to do is wake her up."

"Why are you going against the hokage?" Temari squinted at Naruto suspiciously.

Naruto sighed deeply.

"Because although I know they all want the best for her, they can't protect her like this any longer. Sakura-chan is a lady now. She should make her own decisions." He paused. "Now…come on."

In silence, Kankuro and Temari followed the blonde around the back of the office and watched him peek in on Sakura through the window. The room was empty, save for Sasuke manning the door.

Thinking quickly, Temari picked up a rock and threw it at one of the windows opposite Sakura's Immediately, Sasuke darted up. His eyes settled on their window, and for the longest time, no one breathed or made a sound. Slowly, they swiveled around to the other side and he stepped out. This gave Temari, Kankuro and Naruto a needed opening.

"Quick, Sasuke has to know now!" Naruto bust in through the broken window, and grabbed Sakura's limp body from the cot. With her, he took the IV and morphine drip that was hooked up to her arm.

"Grab that blood!" he ordered and just as Kankuro grabbed the vase, Sasuke burst back into the room.

"NARUTO! YOU IDIOT!" he shouted, and lunged towards the blonde.

However, with Sakura in Naruto's arms, he didn't dare attack. Temari caught his hesitation and swung her fan as hard as she could manage.

"Dai kamaitachi no jutsu!" she shouted, and watched Sasuke fly backward through the office walls.

All the windows in the room shattered instantly, and the sound of Kakashi and Tsunade shouting was heard. Naruto clutched Sakura desperately, and lead the way out to escape.

"Quick! Now we don't have much time!" he dug his claws into the nearest branch, and settled there for a moment.

With one hand, he pressed two fingers to Sakura's back and took a deep breath.

"Kai!" he shouted and Sakura inhaled deeply.

"Naruto?" she croaked "What's going on?"

"We're gonna take you to my brother. We know what's going on and we're gonna help you the best we possibly can!" Temari gave the younger girl a thumbs up.

Sakura smiled weakly, although confused at the sight of the two sand-nins.

"I've got the blood for you," Kankuro handed Sakura the vase, and she pulled a lid from the inside of her shirt to cover it.

"Great. Naruto, carry me, and go as fast as you can!" Sakura tested her voice in a weak cry and held on for dear life as Naruto took off.

Temari and Kankuro observed the wood behind them and could hear Sasuke shouting frantically. Instantly, they took off as well.

When the four ninja reached the clearing behind Sakura's apartment, it was five minutes to midnight, and near pitch black.

Sakura pulled the IV and morphine line from her arm and stood as steadily as possible.

"Wait in the shadows," she warned them, and coughed into her hand.

Kankuro grimaced as he saw the blood on her palm, but obeyed the warning with the rest of the group.

'_This isn't the same girl I thought I knew before…'_

Suddenly, there was a shuffle from the bushes in front of Sakura, and she prepared herself for the inevitable. Gaara became visible, his face drawn and angry.

'_Gaara…you're…you look so unhappy…' _Temari bit her lower lip to restrain her tears. _'I hate to see you like this.'_

Sakura's eyes averted to Gaara's arms where there was a foul smelling lump of grey and black fur. It was his sacrifice. Suddenly, her head began to pound.

Gaara dropped the dead raccoon in the center of the circle emotionlessly, his hands coated with blood. Sakura looked up at him, seeing double. Her eyes were rimmed with black, and she resembled him.

"You got out, then?" he grunted.

"I'm still hurting…" Sakura croaked.

Gaara tried not to look affected by the sound of pain in her voice, but found himself feeling nauseated.

"Do you have your sacrifice?" the tone of his voice went down a notch, and Sakura nodded weakly.

With one hand, she drew the glass vase from her pack, and removed the wax lid she had placed on it for safekeeping. Gaara's eyes widened and he stared at her in shock.

"Let's do it…" Sakura coughed.

"No," Gaara looked around and then folded his arms across his chest. "I smell fox. Tell Naruto to come out of hiding."

Sakura quivered and gave a small nod. However, accompanying Naruto, Gaara was surprised to see his older brother and sister.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped.

Temari gave a sobering smile. "Moral support, little bro."

"Yeah man," Kankuro smirked.

Gaara's eyes softened briefly as he stared at the ground, but quickly turned cold.

"Do you have the scrolls?" he demanded of Sakura.

Slowly and painfully, Sakura unraveled each of the six scrolls on the ground. Gaara drew a circle around the raccoon in he dirt, and Sakura set blood vase next to it. It had coagulated slightly, but the scent was still fresh. Gaara felt Shukaku stir within him. The demon was growing excited.

"Temari, Naruto…Kankuro. As long as you're here…help us," Gaara grunted.

Sakura turned to him in surprise, but nodded.

"Place your hands on as many scrolls as you can manage, and focus your chakra into them. Retain a little if necessary, but remember…this is for our lives," she pulled open the front of her shirt and bit her thumb.

Carefully, she painted over one of the faded symbols on her chest, and locked eyes with Gaara.

"As human beings, we have a series of basic needs that must be fulfilled during the course of our lives. They are essential to our survival and interaction with others..." she began.

Gaara's fingers twitched.

"Among them is a clean and healthy environment, the opportunity to learn and give expression to our intellectual, mechanical and artistic talents, good physical and mental health, and nurturing family and friends, who in turn supply us with our greatest need of all – love…" Sakura nodded at Naruto, Temari and Kankuro before turning back to Gaara.

"The fact that every one of you have come to support us shows great love, and to thank you, I would like to say that I love you all for your determination and strength. Without you, I'd be nothing," she sobbed.

Gaara began to hiccup softly again, and Temari's eyes watered. Naruto noisily tried to hold back his tears, while Kankuro observed the group with a warm smile.

"Gaara-san…it's time," Sakura placed her smooth hand over his and massaged his fingers softly before pressing her forehead against his so that the seals matched up.

"Sa…ku…ra…" he forced out the syllables. "I…"

"Now," Sakura whispered. "DO IT!"

"AH! It hurts!" Gaara shouted, and visible red chakra burst out from his body.

Naruto followed suit, and then Temari, and then Kankuro. Last was Sakura, with the remaining ounces of her strength.

Sakura:_ 'We put everything we have into his one solution and the only thing I have left is to pray to god that it works. Even after this moment, if we do unlock all six scrolls, where will we go from there…god…?'_

Gaara: _'The pain is unbearable, and I've never felt a puling this strong. If I die here…NO. I can't die here. My existence would have been worth nothing. **She**…she would have risked her life for nothing. I can't let her do that.'_

Temari: _'This time it feels like we're really siblings. We're doing something together. I get to help him. For years, I feared this boy …for years…I never knew him.'_

Kankuro: _'That day…I watched him rise from the dead and there was something in his eyes that told me things would never be the same. He had a sense of humor…he almost smiled. Dear god…I cried for this kid. Please…help me remember that day…always.'

* * *

A/n: Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I hope this chapter suits your needs! Thanks to all my loyal reviewers who I hope will Keep pressing that little button! Haha! See ya next time!_


	9. Sign, Seal, Deliver

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter nine: Sign, Seal, Deliver

* * *

"Don't stop!" Sakura cried out as she watched two of the seven scrolls light up and burn out as they were revealed. "We're almost there!" 

The mix of red and blue chakra suddenly turned the air around them purple, and Temari began to sway.

"I don't think…I don't think I can hold on!" she panicked.

As she was about to keel over, Gaara grabbed her wrist and stared her straight in the eye. Slowly, blood began to flow from his open mouth, and Temari gasped.

"If I can…" he choked. "You can."

Gaara's eyes closed and once again, his fingers began to twitch. The amount of energy he was expelling was putting a tremendous amount of strain on his hands. It wouldn't be long before his bones started breaking.

"Another! We've got another!" Naruto shouted, and kicked the third scroll away from the pile. "C'mon guys! Hold on for Sakura-chan and Gaara!"

Sakura smiled drowsily.

"Thanks…Naruto…" she whispered, and then made a sickening sound as bright red blood began to foam at her lips.

It was inevitable, and the pain was incredible. Suddenly, Sakura's knees gave out and she fell flat on her stomach, staring up at the four other ninja surrounding her. Their faces quickly became blurry, and were replaced with one big purple haze.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted to rouse her, but it was no use.

Sakura's eyes closed shut and instantly, she began being pulled into a deep sleep. Inside, Inner Sakura's thrashing was growing worse, and the screaming was terrible. All sorts of obscenities and death threats were thrown at Sakura, but all she could manage was to stare. The child's picture was back again, and more and more was being revealed. It was the beginning a large, poorly drawn bird. Its wings were stretched out and spanned the whole door, covering some of the symbols.

"Oh…I…remember," Sakura choked suddenly and tried to stretch out to touch the door.

However, as hard as she tried, she was glued in the same spot, forced to watch Inner Sakura ram herself over and over against the steel walls.

"My memories…." Sakura looked at her hands and found them smooth and uncaloused.

Her fingernails were painted a deep red that matched the silk of the kimono she was in. Instantly, her heartbeat sped up. The bird…the fingernail polish…the red silk kimono…they were things she thought she had buried in her past forever.

"Another! Another one! Number four!" Naruto's voice penetrated the quiet of Sakura's mind, but this time, she couldn't be brought back.

There was just too much she wanted to know. Years of pushing away terrible memories had caused Sakura's mind to become cluttered, and she had already fallen prey to the disastrous results. Slowly, a few tears began to steam down her cheeks, only to accelerate as she hung her head.

"Hey, you look…nice."

Sakura's looked up as she heard the familiar voice. Rough and husky, seemingly cold and uncaring.

"Gaara?" she whispered as she saw the figure, illuminated in a makeshift spotlight before her.

He was dressed in casual black pants and a tan shirt that just barely covered his navel, and seemed to have enough starch to almost completely mask his mouth.

His red hair was as unruly as always, but there was a softer look in his eyes that Sakura was drawn to.

"Hey," he gave her a nod and smirked from beneath his shirt collar.

Just the sight of his smile made Sakura blush and bow her head again in shame of her thoughts.

"So…was that a compliment from the great Kazekage?" she asked quietly, barely above a whisper.

Gaara closed the distance between them, and with him went the spotlight. Gently, he lifted her chin with his forefinger and studied the blush and confusion on her face. It seemed to be amusing to him.

"I guess," he chuckled.

Gaara? Chuckling? In happiness? Does not compute!

Sakura pulled away and shook her head.

"God I, I can't believe I'm thinking like this. You're not real," she sniffled.

Expecting Gaara to disappear, Sakura turned to observe the caverns of her mind. Three more spotlights lit up, but no one appeared. Once again, Sakura felt Gaara's touch. His arms encircled her waist, and pulled her back to rest tightly against his chest.

"But I'm how you'd want me to be. This is how…I've always pictured myself being. Without Shukaku. Even if I'm not real, don't you enjoy this? Isn't it what you desire?" he asked with a grin.

Sakura's cheeks warmed with blush and she pushed out of his hold.

"No! How could I possibly wish this from someone who so openly despises me?" She shouted in protest.

Gaara gave a knowing smirk and then turned to face the other spotlights.

"It's obvious you care for me. Care…about me. I've never had that and it's a confusing feeling. I'm likely to resist," he smiled before lifting his red bangs with a flickering smile.

Sakura noted the placement of his "love tattoo" had remained the same although his attitude had changed completely.

"You see…in your mind you tend to sugarcoat the truth. But some things are always there to remind you," Gaara said softly, and set a heavy palm atop Sakura's head.

Slowly and gently, he ruffled her pink locks until a smile surfaced on her lips.

"We're both so alike. You and I. It's amazing, yet we barely know anything about each other," he shook his head with a wistful smile.

Sakura glanced up at Gaara, and then studied her red nail polish for a long while. Before she could respond, a loud "pop" was heard and a five year old version of her stood in one of the spotlights. The miniature Sakura was dressed in a baby kimono and wearing deep red nail polish. Her lips were painted deep rouge and her cheeks pale white with powder.

"Tell me Sakura…why do you look so old there…? Why were you in such a rush to grow up?" Gaara whispered into her ear, his breath warm and comforting.

"I…" Sakura gave a false chuckle. "That's not me."

Gaara fingered the kimono Sakura was dressed in, and then looked at the five year old Sakura.

"You're lying. The kimono you're wearing now…it's the same as 'little Sakura's.' Both are reflective of old, forgotten memories," Gaara gestured towards the spotlight. "Tell me…what do you remember?"

Sakura was hesitant at first, but when her eyes fell on the spotlight, she was compelled to speak.

"That was my first showing," she whispered, almost in a trance.

"Showing?" Gaara asked. He folded his arms across his chest and awaited more.

"Mom and dad…they dressed me up and showed me all over Tokyo for a possible arranged marriage. I….I hated it, but mother said she wanted her only girl child to grow up to be a loyal wife. Although she and father were both ANBU, they didn't want a shinobi's life for their little Sakura," Sakura's voice was shaky as she moved her eyes to the next spotlight.

"So you didn't want to be married?" Gaara frowned characteristically.

Sakura sniffled and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I was five. I wanted to play with my friends not be solicited to the high society clans just to be turned down."

Another version of Sakura showed up, about nine years old. She was wearing a purple shirt and tan pants, but her eyes were listless and cold.

"For four years I endured the madness, but every boy…every mother said the same thing." Sakura paused. "Her forehead's too big. She's ugly. My son can get much better catches."

"Soon, the word traveled to the children of Konoha about my parents' desperation, and I became the butt of every forehead and dirty joke imaginable. My self esteem was shattered. It was almost nonexistent until Ino saved me. But even after that, I destroyed the one good thing I had going. The damage was done. I had to go boy chasing."

"Sasuke?" Gaara smiled. Sakura flushed.

"Hai. At the time, my parents had given up hope on my marriage and let me train to become a ninja. However, I prayed that someone as beautiful, strong, and as well known as Sasuke Uchiha would marry me."

"But, that never happened," Gaara studied nine year old Sakura with care. The look in her eyes was clearly rejection.

"No. it didn't. My shameless begging, my weak and pathetic behavior was all to please my parents. I knew they'd be delighted if Sasuke wanted to marry me, but even I knew it wouldn't happen. All I wanted to do was please my parents. Just so they wouldn't' regret having me. So they wouldn't stop loving me!" Sakura pounded her fists against Gaara's chest as she cried.

In the third spotlight, a twelve year old Sakura appeared, smiling a fake smile.

"Did they?"

"They never admitted it, but I knew I had disappointed them. I wasn't the daughter they wanted. Our relationship died away…and that was when I put my love into team 7, and my desperation to please my parents never ceased until their death. That was when…"

Sakura gasped as the spotlights disappeared and inner Sakura came into view once more.

"When this happened?" Gaara whispered.

"Yes," Sakura confessed, and threw herself against Gaara's chest. Without protest, he held her close to soothe her cries.

"Your life won't end here Sakura-chan," Gaara whispered. "Although your memories are most painful, there's no way a strong kunoichi like yourself can't get over them…with the right amount of help of course."

He let her go suddenly, and Sakura was no longer glued to the floor. Experimentally, she took a step forward towards inner Sakura and wobbled. Gaara's reassuring smile egged her on, and before she knew it, Sakura was nose to nose with her inner demon.

"**What do you want?" **she snapped.

Sakura was taken aback by the vulgarity, but remembered Gaara and balled her fists at her sides. **He **would never give up. **He** would never back down.

"I want you to leave me alone! Once and for all!" Sakura countered.

Inner Sakura rolled her eyes cockily and threw a nasty smirk her way. With her index finger, she poked at Sakura's chest, sending her back a few inches so that her back was pressed up against the door.

"**Make me." **

Sakura grasped at her pounding head to regain what little sanity she had left. The feel of Inner Sakura's pure evil was sickening, and she desperately wanted to break free of her hold.

"**Just what I thought. You're still just as unstable as you've always been. It's sad you know. Friggin' sad. You can't even face yourself." **

Gaara gave Sakura a sympathetic look as he watched her suffer, and with a deep sigh, shook Sakura's shoulders roughly.

"Sakura…I want to tell you…" he started hesitantly.

Sakura removed her hands from her head and stared into Gaara's eyes. Warm, turquoise depths that matched her own. In his darkly rimmed orbs, she found understanding…she found completion.

"I was born to be a weapon for my country, implanted with this demon for no other reason than power! My own mother cursed me as I died, and my father tried to kill me all throughout my pathetic life. Up until the day he was murdered. I was lived to be feared, and I grew cold. No one had ever loved me…and I had never loved anyone until…" he closed his eyes on Sakura, and slowly, she traced the thick black lines over his eyelids with her thumb.

Silence settled for a long while until Sakura built up the courage to speak.

"When I was a little girl I used to pretend I was a bird…" Sakura cooed, running her fingers through his hair. "I pretended so…so when bad things happened I could just fly away. I drew so many pictures, made little paper cranes, swans, ducks…anything that could fly and take me away from my parents, Gaara. I…I want to thank you and…and tell you I….I…"

Sakura's cheeks reddened and her hands began to tremble. However, before she could continue, Gaara faded away with inner Sakura and the sealed door. Sakura was left alone in the darkness, staring at the ground beneath her knees.

Frustrated, she balled her fists and slammed them against the floor.

"No! I could--I could never fly away! I was always subject to the pain and the hurt! I envied the birds…I worshiped them…but they let me down. They always let me down. Gaara…"

Just as she began to cry, the scene disappeared before her eyes. Suddenly, she was back in the forest, and several familiar faces were staring down at her. Tsunade, Sasuke and Kakashi had evidently joined the sand nin trio (plus Naruto), but didn't look nearly as happy as the rest.

"Oh man Sakura, you're awake! You really scared us there!" Naruto rubbed vigorously at his eyes with dirty hands, and that caused something in Sakura's brain to click.

"I faced my past," she whispered more to herself than anyone around her. "But it was only in my mind."

Naruto gave her a look that voiced his utter confusion.

With a loud groan of frustration, Sakura shook her head to change the subject. "But I suppose we didn't get the scrolls done…"

Naruto grinned and sat her up immediately, but before she could speak, Tsunade cut him off.

"On the contrary, Sakura. You, Naruto, Temari, Gaara and Kankuro managed to reveal all seven." She crossed her arms over her ample bosom, only accentuating the area.

"All that's left are the jutsus," Kakashi noted and held up all seven scrolls.

Sakura wanted to smile, to jump for joy, but she knew what they would say.

"Yes, but I suppose…I've been caught again, and I'll be receiving punishment for my actions," Sakura looked up and met Gaara's eyes.

Quickly, he turned his head away with a hint of blush on his cheeks. Tiredly, she stared at her hands. They were rough and her fingernails unpainted. With a faint blush of her own, Sakura wondered if deep down in his heart, Gaara knew what she did.

"You've been punished enough for now," Tsunade interrupted Sakura's thoughts. "You and Gaara have gotten this far by breaking the rules. Nothing else is going to stop you. Not even the Godaime and her ANBU buddy," she broke into a soft smile.

Sakura was barely able to return it. The stress on her body due to chakra loss was taking a serious toll on her nerves and mental function.

Sasuke seemed to pick up on her uneasiness first, and clutched her hand firmly in his own. His possessive aura overwhelmed her, but there was something about the concern Sakura saw in his eyes that made her melt.

"Sakura, we've all realized that the only way you'll stop fighting this is if you succeed. So…" Sasuke breathed a heavy sigh. "We're all going to do our best to help. However, don't think that there won't be a price to pay in the end."

Just as those words were spoken, sakura doubled over in pain. Her stomach was covered with massive purple bruises around her wound, and the same blood that foamed out of her mouth corners, seemed to almost bubble from the uninfected portion of the gash.

"Your stomach is swelling and the wound looks infected. Sakura, you may have to try again another day." Tsunade brushed Sakura's dirty bangs out of her eyes, but the younger woman smattered her hand away.

"No! I had a vision when I was passed out… an epiphany." Sakura watched as Gaara continued to hang his head. "We can't back down now! We have to keep going and confront our fears! Our hurt!" she shouted.

Sakura shook her head regretfully and did a sweep across the group with her eyes. Kankuro began to help Gaara into a standing position when she stopped him.

"You can't take this away from us. You just can't! Gaara and I have come so far…" she whispered shakily. "Please…please. Gaara…"

"Sakura-san, I want to help my brother as much as you do, and I wish that things were different for the both of you, but things have turned grave," Kankuro hung his head.

Temari followed suit.

"These jutsu require complete synchronization. In your weakened state, you simply cannot perform," she took a look at Gaara and smiled wistfully. "You can always try tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Sakura scoffed. "How do I know there's going to be a tomorrow for me? Right now I'm at my wit's end. In this state…I don't' know what I'll do!" Sakura fumed.

At that moment, Gaara broke free of his brother's hold.

"Haruno's right. Even if none of you give a damn, it's our quality of life that's on the line. Not yours. We're going through with this," he said firmly, and cradled one limp hand to his chest. From the way he winced, Sakura guessed it was broken. And though she hated to see him in pain, she knew what had to be done.

With his good hand, Gaara grabbed one of the scrolls and tossed it at Sakura. She pulled it open in a rush, and settled her eyes on the mass of parchment.

"There are so many hand seals…just look at them all!" Naruto exclaimed as he rolled out the second and third scrolls.

Temari shot a glare at Gaara.

"Don't be stubborn! You've got a broken hand and you're low on chakra! You can't possibly do this without killing yourself!" she slammed her fist on the ground in protest.

Gaara's eyes glinted with malice, and with a wince, he straightened out his broken hand. Sakura watched the sickening sight in horror as he snapped his bones back into place.

"Nothing's impossible for me," he growled, though still in obvious pain.

Carefully, Sakura tore the hem of her dress and wrapped the dirty cloth around Gaara's hand to keep the bones in place. She hung her head and sighed. Moment by moment, the situation was getting worse, along with her splitting headache.

'**_Well, you had balls for trying, but what did I tell you…? Hmmn? You'll never win."_** Inner Sakura chuckled, making sharp cracks on the door to Sakura's soul.

All over her body the symbols for the extraction were fading away, and the same went with Gaara. They were simply running out of time.

"Come on! Naruto, Kakashi, Kankuro, Temari, Tsunade and…Sasuke. Save me," Sakura pleaded. "I need your help."

Gaara locked eyes with is brother and sister, and gave a slight nod.

"You didn't help me back then…the least you can do is aid me now," he whispered.

Teary eyed, Temari gave a hesitant nod, while Kankuro heaved a sigh.

"If you die brother…" he started, but Gaara shot him a death glare.

"Stop talking shit, Kankuro. I'm not dying. Hell won't take me yet." he coughed a few spots of brown blood, and wiped the back of his mouth with his good hand.

Sakura smiled at the Kazekage's half-joke, and made eye contact with Sasuke.

"For you Sakura," he whispered, and planted a kiss on her forehead. From across the circle, the hair on the back of Gaara's neck stood up and he looked down. It happened so fast, Sakura barely noticed his change in mood.

Her cheeks filled with color and she watched as Sasuke study the detailed pictures on the scrolls. Carefully, he lined all seven up side by side and scanned the group.

"There are a total of 72 different hand motions that must be completed in a combo. The first thirty six are used for the extraction. The second thirty six are used for sealing the evil into another medium. Your sacrifice. Now Sakura…because you don't have a living or once living sacrifice, you'll have to choose something. Anything that you feel a great attachment to. Because the evil will be separated from you both, it will be greatly weakened, and will destroy itself."

"But during the extraction, what will happen to us, Uchiha?" Gaara demanded.

Sasuke traced a finger over the writing as he read.

"You'll be rendered unconscious," he smirked. "You see…this is an impossible task for one person. I think that originally, the seven scrolls required someone to watch over the user. Without that person, or persons, the sealer or extractor would have all the odds against them."

Sakura fumed. "So are you telling me that even if we had wanted to do this by ourselves—"

"—you couldn't. With your lack of chakra….there's no doubt you **would** die." Kakashi finished as he began to read over Sasuke's shoulders. "It's a good thing we're all ready to help," he gave a thumbs up.

Sakura watched his visible eye crinkle with a smile, and took a slow, painful breath. She was frustrated, of course, but she couldn't deny the fact that she was lucky. She had great friends.

"Alright, then lets all focus our chakra, and not take any chances. No screw-ups!" Tsunade said sternly.

All eyes averted to Naruto, who gave a big pout.

"Stop looking at me like that! I'm the one who tried to save Sakura-chan in the first place, you bunch of ungrateful nobodies!" he shouted.

The group, save for Temari, Naruto, Kankuro, Gaara and Sakura bowed their heads.

"We offer a great apology for our close minded actions. It seemed…we weren't' thinking of you, Sakura," Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It's alright Tsunade-shishou, Kakashi-sensei…Sasuke." Sakura settled her eyes on the dark-haired ninja for a long while before moving on.

Gaara simply rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Pick your medium, Haruno and let's get on with this before I die," he snapped.

Sakura whipped her head around in embarrassment, and thought of the nicer version of Gaara she had met in her daydream. With a pout, she wished for the current Gaara's replacement.

"Naruto!" she blurted suddenly as her eyes averted to the clouds.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?"

"Bring me a bird…" she said softly, and inadvertently, Gaara's eyes softened.

"_When I was a little girl I used to pretend I was a bird…"_ the words came to his mind suddenly, and quickly, he shook his head to block them out.

Gaara wouldn't admit that when he had passed out shortly after Sakura, he had been daydreaming about her. It was embarrassing to know that his inner feelings had been portrayed for her. That he had consoled her…if only in his mind.

"I'm on it!" Naruto launched himself into one of the highest trees he could find, and suddenly a group of white doves exploded into the night sky.

"It seems he…scared them all away," Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered under his breath, but hushed himself when Naruto came crashing back down to the forest floor, a live dove clutched in his arms.

For a moment, Sakura studied the confused creature, wobbling from one leg to the other. It pained her to know she would have to kill it, but it hurt her more to imagine living with inner Sakura for the rest of her life.

"Ohhh!" she groaned loudly, envisioning another large crack in the door to her soul. Blood spewed from the wound in her stomach, and Gaara was first to notice how pale she was.

"Let's hurry, guys!" Kankuro ordered, and flattened out the scrolls around the sacrifice circle.

"Okay, Sakura, Gaara, you two sit back to back inside the circle with your sacrifices beside you. I've only seen this type of extraction performed once, so let's get it right!" Tsunade yelled, pumping one fist into the air. Sakura couldn't help but think it gave her a bit of Naruto charm.

With a bit of his chakra, Kakashi sealed them into the circle, creating an invisible barrier. In a panic, the dove tried to get out, but it was no use. Sakura set the bird in her lap to calm it, but nothing was working. In order to perform some of the hand motions themselves, Gaara and Sakura would need complete concentration. Finally, with her eyes closed, she wound her fingers loosely around the dove's neck and ruffled its soft feathers. While surprisingly calm, Sakura tightened her fist and snapped it downward violently.

Gaara watched in silence, and observed as Sakura tossed the bird next to the raccoon with trembling hands.

"I could have done that for you," he said quietly.

Sakura smiled wistfully.

"No…it was something I needed to do myself," she wiped her hands on her dress. "Besides…since when does the great Kazekage do anyone favors?"

Gaara stared Sakura straight in the eyes and frowned. She looked absolutely sickly, and it bothered him. Her hair was damp with sweat, dirt and blood. Every strand was out of place, and he couldn't help but want to smooth them down…to make her "perfect" again…just so he could break her. Deep down, it irked him that she could affect him this way by doing nothing. She was oblivious to the fact, and it only made her more attractive.

"Never," he whispered.

"Alright guys, we're ready over here! Are you? Can you read the scrolls from back there?" Temari shouted each question. Although the seal was invisible, you could feel it, and the chakra was so dense, only strong sounds could get through.

Sakura gave a thumbs up in response. All of her friends, new and old stood ready, surrounding the circle from afar. Sasuke and Kakashi had drawn long lines in the dirt that would hold the chakra and transfer it into Sakura and Gaara's bodies without risk of exposure to anyone else, so the rest of the group was forced to stand back.

"Okay! Let's start! We'll go slowly!" Naruto grinned and Tsunade started the hand motions.

They went around the circle counterclockwise and ended with Gaara and Sakura.

"Alright," Gaara muttered, and moved his hands in time with Sakura's.

His broken hand made the signing awkward, but at least Sakura was able to keep up.

'_17…monkey 18…19…rat…' _In her mind, Sakura counted off each zodiac animal and the number of times it was repeated in the thirty six hand sign combo.

However, as she reached 22, she began to feel dizzy and nauseous. In addition to her sickness, from the corner of her eye, Sakura could see Gaara getting woozy.

"**What the hell is this!" **Sakura blurted suddenly, screaming aloud.

Within her mind, she could see inner Sakura being torn away from the door as a green and blue chakra haze surrounded both Gaara and Sakura.

"**Damn you to hell, Sakura! You can't! You can't!"** she shrieked through Sakura's mouth, and soon, Gaara followed suit in the manic fit, but the demonic voices remained in his head.

'_**I can't believe this…I've always been the one to take care of you! How could you do this! Why, you ungrateful bastard!'**_

'_**Damn you!'**_

The rest of the ninja were forced to watch the scene in horror while struggling to keep their minds on the hand signs.

It was then that Sakura felt herself being lifted from the ground, and was suddenly placed into a forced position on her back. Gaara's body began to spasm uncontrollably and all of a sudden his hand signs stopped. Slowly, he rose with Sakura, and could feel a great and painful pull on his body.

"Ahhh!" Sakura screamed out next to him. Her eyes were tightly shut, but out of the corner of her mouth leeched several small rivers of blood.

Gaara held back his cry and soon the same thing began to happen to him. It wasn't long before he was rendered immobile, and put into a forced sleep.

* * *

Darkness instantly overtook Gaara, and he found himself in a place similar to his last daydream. However, the familiar darkness quickly faded away to light. In the center of the room he found a familiar pink haired kunoichi, staring at him intently. She was wearing a plain red t-shirt and black shorts but looked uncharacteristically frightened. 

"Is that really you Gaara? Really? I mean, did we die?" she whispered, and Gaara's blinked rapidly before responding.

Immediately, he studied his own attire. He was wearing a black long sleeved t-shirt with a collar that covered his mouth when he spoke, and a pair of black shorts that cut off at the knee.

"Personally, I feel alive," Gaara mumbled to himself as he flexed his fingers. "What are you doing in my thoughts, Haruno?"

Sakura's cheeks turned red at once and she looked around frantically.

"Your thoughts! These are my thoughts!" she blurted, and then smacked herself across the face.

Gaara stared at her in disbelief and frowned.

"Ow, damn. I felt that, but…I didn't wake up!" Sakura mumbled and rubbed her sore cheek. "We must be dead! Oh no! I…that…that means it failed!"

Gaara tried to block out Sakura's delusional ramblings, and focused on studying the room. But before he got halfway to the other side, a miniature version of himself appeared, staring up expectantly.

Startled, Gaara took two steps back and turned around, trying to pretend he was imagining things. However, the mini Gaara appeared in front of him once more, this time daring to pull on his shirt. From behind him, Sakura finally quieted herself enough to notice Gaara's dilemma.

'_Is…is this…what… what's going on?' _she thought as she watched little Gaara curl his fists in frustration.

However, Sakura was faced with her own dilemma when a mini Sakura appeared behind her, tapping her little foot on the ground.

"You're me?" little Gaara pouted, staring straight up at Gaara.

"Yeah…I guess…whatever," Gaara took another step back and little Gaara took one forward.

"Hm, I look kinda cool," the little one cracked a small smile. "So, what do I do? Hm, I mean… hat do **you** do?"

Gaara heaved a sigh, and decided to humor "himself."

"I'm…Kazekage. Was…Kazekage."

"What happened?" little Gaara innocently stuck a thumb in his mouth.

"I…took a leave," Gaara snapped. "Your stupid demon caused it. Besides, the job was bullshit anyway."

Little Gaara's lower lip trembled, and he began to whine.

"I…I don't have a job?"

"I'm still a fucking ninja," Gaara flicked little Gaara in the head sharply. "Stop crying."

"Oh..." little Gaara smiled. "So I'm an awesome ninja then! Am I gonna be hokage!"

"No! Of course not! Only brainless blonde idiots strive for that crap," Gaara countered.

Little Gaara gave moan of disappointment, letting his saliva covered thumb slip from his mouth. Slowly, his lips twitched into a shy smile.

"Does…" he began shifting nervously. "Does someone love us?"

Gaara glared at little Gaara dangerously. "What!"

Little Gaara's cheeks turned pink.

"I mean…do we have a girlfriend or something?" he blurted.

Gaara's cheeks turned just as red to match his mini counterpart

"NO! OF COURSE NOT!" he shouted.

Little Gaara took a peek over Gaara's shoulder and spotted Sakura. "You're lying! That's her, isn't it!"

Gaara gave little Gaara a rough shove, and his face burned an even darker red.

"She's cute. Pink hair, almost red, like ours!" little Gaara cheered.

Gaara shoved the little one harder until he fell to the ground.

"Shut up you little shit! She's not my girlfriend!" he yelled.

Little Gaara's eyes filled with tears and he stood.

"You suck!" he blurted, and Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"What?" he barked back.

"I said you suck!" little Gaara kicked big Gaara in the shin and growled.

"OW! Why you little—

"—I can't believe this is what I grow up to be!" little Gaara cut him off, and tears began to flow down his cheeks. "I suck!"

Gaara lowered his eyes in shame, and then stuck his hands deep in to his pockets.

"Quit crying!" he shouted over the sound of little Gaara's wails, but nothing would console the child. "Suck it up, will you! You're pissing me off!"

Gaara pulled at his hair, shouting until little Gaara finally disappeared, leaving behind a puddle of tears. With a thud, Gaara fell back on his bottom, and listened to the sound of Sakura arguing with her own doppelganger.

"I said no! I didn't marry Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked.

"Then what did you amount to!" little Sakura demanded, hands her hips.

"Nothing, okay!"

"What do you mean, nothing! We have no job, no boyfriend, no husband, no house, and no money!" Little Sakura wailed, stamping her foot on the ground in anger.

Sakura began to tear, and she nodded. "Right. We have nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing to look forward to so just…just…SHUT UP!" Sakura slammed her fist on the ground, and little Sakura disappeared in a angry flash of pink swirls.

Gaara lowered his eyes as Sakura turned to face him.

"Having to face myself like that…" she whispered. "This must be hell."

Gaara curled his knees to his chest and rocked back and forth slowly. The movement was easier without the weight of his gourd.

"That brat was right. I do suck. I didn't accomplish…anything," he muttered.

"We both do," Sakura smiled wearily, and before she could think of a reason not to, laced her fingers with Gaara's.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Haruno?" he tried to pull away, but she pinned his hand against the floor, and closed her eyes with a smile.

"Come on. Together we have the chance to change things. I don't wanna suck. Do you?"

"…"

Sakura tried again. "Come on…to suck or not so suck…that is the question."

Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow, and stared into Sakura's eyes just as they opened. Seeing the cheer in her emerald orbs stirred something in him, and suddenly Gaara wanted nothing more than to be part of that unexplainable happiness. Right then and there.

Gaara's hand tightened over hers, and Sakura blushed visibly. However, just as she bowed her head, Gaara used his free hand and roughly brought it back up to his, closer this time.

'_Oh what the fucking hell…I'm hallucinating anyway…'_ he groaned in thought, and then leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers.

The kiss has hard and fast, barely giving Sakura any time to think, pull away, or even respond. Before she could blink, it was over, and she was rendered speechless. With a grunt, Gaara shook his hands from hers and stood.

"Anything to shut you up."

* * *

Naruto stared in awe as he watched his friends in pain. With a groan, he formed his last hand sign with the rest, and looked back and forth. Kakashi, Tsunade, Temari, Kankuro, and Sasuke stood frozen on the sign of the cat. Purple chakra flared around their hands, and simultaneously, they nodded. 

"One!" Tsunade shouted as she slammed her hand against the dirt.

A great ball of purple chakra traveled along the dirt lines, and sent a shockwave through the circle. Both Gaara and Sakura seemed to be completely unconscious then, and grey chakra began to flow from their mouths. Suddenly, the ground shattered beneath them.

"Two!" Kakashi followed suit, and released his chakra, molded in the form of eight barking dogs.

"Three!" Naruto smirked as he did Lee's nice guy pose. His chakra soared from the flat of his palm to the tip of his thumb and struck the ground with malice.

"Four!" Temari pretended the chakra on her hands was a fan, and swung it down against the dirt with a grin.

"Five!" Kankuro splayed his fingers as if they held strings, and the chakra shot out in five separate bursts.

"Six!" Sasuke finished it off with by pulling the chakra between both hands as if it were a bow and arrow, and shooting it through the circle instead of letting it travel on the ground.

'_Bull's eye,'_ he smirked to himself, and nodded at Naruto. They were the best two for the final task. Small and fast.

With great speed, they both lunged for the stream of chakra that engulfed Gaara and Sakura. With their arms linked, Sasuke and Naruto drew blood on their thumbs. In the seconds that followed, they watched carefully as the last bits of evil were extracted from Gaara and Sakura.

At that exact moment, the two threw themselves towards the building grey cloud of demonic auras, and drew thick lines of blood across Gaara and Sakura's exposed skin. With a great flash of red and blue chakra, Naruto took a chunk of the already torn seventh scroll, and pressed it against Gaara's neck.

The paper seemed to leech into his skin and make a permanent seal. Sasuke followed suit and watched as a black circle with two triangles in the middle formed on Sakura's neck. Before they had time to do anything else, Naruto and Sasuke jumped back to a safe distance.

"Wait! What about the sacrifices?" Naruto shouted over the loud hissing of both demons.

"Stay here and conserve your strength! Kakashi and I will seal them!" Tsunade ordered, and pointed to Temari and Kankuro. Both were sweating profusely, and looked about to keel over.

Naruto and Sasuke nodded, and watched as Kakashi and Tsunade used their own blood to draw the demonic aura into the dead creatures. Kakashi doused the dove in Sakura's blood, and pulled Tsunade away.

"Stand back!" He ordered to the group, and they all obliged. Sakura and Gaara dropped roughly to the ground, and the dark cloud surrounding them disappeared.

Before their eyes, both demons were sealed into the dead animals. However, it seemed their power was too strong. The dove turned a sickening red that matched Sakura's blood, and came to life. Gaara's raccoon also hopped on all fours, barking madly in high pitched tones.

"Oh no! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto started to run towards the scene, but at the last moment, Tsunade swung out an arm and knocked him to the ground.

"Just wait!" she demanded, and pointed at Kakashi.

"MANGEKYOU SHARINGAN!" he locked his eyes with the two creatures, and Naruto watched in awe as they disappeared as fast as they had come.

"Mangekyou…" Sasuke thought aloud to himself while shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "He used it to send the evil to another dimension."

"So then, it's over?" Temari smiled weakly from her position on the ground.

Tsunade observed the demolished area of the forest. The fallen trees, the dead creatures surrounding the chakra seal. Everything was ruined amidst that one circular spot.

"Almost," she breathed a heavy sigh and headed towards Sakura and Gaara.

Both ninja lay bruised and broken in a pool of blood and dirt. Sakura's arm was bent at an awkward angle behind her neck and Gaara's leg was twisted around hers, due to the way they had fallen. The vase on the ground had shattered where Kakashi had thrown it, and there were white dove feathers and raccoon hairs scattered all over the ground. The scent of death shrouded the two in grave emotion.

"You mean…are they…dead?" Kankuro questioned from afar, and rose shakily to his knees.

"Both are…barely alive," Tsunade said quietly after taking their pulses, and scooped Sakura into her arms. "The recuperation will be grueling. Every month until their death, the seal keeping the demonic aura from regenerating will have to be redone."

"But how is that possible?" asked Sasuke as he held up the torn seventh scroll. "In order to seal out the demons again, you have to use a piece of the seventh scroll. There's only so much to go around…and once it's gone…"

"Right," Kakashi heaved the unconscious Gaara onto his back. "It's a temporary fix. There's no way to really get rid of demons like that. Especially Gaara's demon Shukaku. They will always be around, so Gaara will always be in danger. Because Sakura's demon was more of a mind-set, she'll be only be in danger in times of weakness. However, that means at any particular time of grieving, her "inner Sakura" will manifest itself. She's only as strong as she wants to be, you guys."

Naruto stood in utter disbelief at his sensei's words.

"So all this…all of it—was just a crapshoot? It was worthless!" he exclaimed.

"On the contrary, Naruto…the demons have already become substantially weakened without a medium, along with the power of the seven scrolls of sealing and extraction." Tsunade smiled weakly. "I believe that when Sakura and Gaara come to…they'll both realize that they've found great peace."

'_Together.'

* * *

_

A/n: Whoa, I realized I didn't give you guys a preview last time, but I totally forgot. I struggled to get this chapter out because it was whole lot of explaining, and even some of which hasn't even been done yet! Ack! Anyway, I hoped you like this chapter, and if you find some mistakes or stuff that sounds stupid or inconsistent, send me a PM and I'll fix it! I often miss a lot of stuff when I write chapters this long. Anyway, here's your chapter ten preview:

**Chapter 10 Preview **

_With her broken arm, Sakura carefully nudged Gaara's thighupwardsso that his foot was pressed safely against her chest. As gently as possible, she used her free hand to massage the sore muscle, kneading his firm, pale skin. From his laying position on the bed, Sakura saw Gaara wince._

"_Does it hurt?" She asked quietly and began sending light shocks of chakra through his leg._

"_It's just stiff, I'll be back on it soon…" Gaara droned, his eyes drooping heavily from the morphine drip. _

"_I hope so," she stopped her work on his leg, and then began untying the knots on the front of his gown. "You're such a cantankerous patient."_

_Gaara watched her healed hand at work with the front of his gown without voicing a protest. Secretly, he relished the feel of her fingertips brushing against his skin. So soft…and light. _

"_I think I'm pretty good…" he smirked, catching one of Sakura's hands in his own._

_Sakura stared down at her patient with a calm smile, and patted his chest. However, still under the influence, Gaara refused to let her go._

"_Don't you think so…Sakura-chan?" he whispered, and tugged Sakura to him so that his lips were pressed firmly against her ear.

* * *

_


	10. I Think I Love Him

Title: Sudden Exposure

Chapter ten: I think I love him

* * *

"How long has it been?" Sakura asked quietly as Tsunade ran a hand through her pink locks, lifting it in some places to check for sores. 

"A few weeks…three or four," Tsunade commented quietly and lifted Sakura's bed sheets.

"Who has been changing your sheets?" she asked.

Sakura folded her hands together calmly and looked down.

"I've been doing it. I'm feeling better and better by the day," she said as strongly as she could muster, but Tsunade wasn't at all impressed.

"Your chakra levels are well below normal. You shouldn't be out of bed. I'm sure Naruto or Sasuke would gladly help change your sheets and give you—

"—no, no. I couldn't do that to them. I don't want to be a burden," Sakura said quietly, her voice small and weak.

"Sakura, you're straining yourself unnecessarily," Tsunade breathed a heavy sigh. "Look, I know I let you go from the hospital because you seemed so determined, but if this continues, I'll have to forcibly admit you. All this motion is unnecessary and could be making you worse by the moment."

Sakura clenched her fists halfway. It was all she could manage.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" she rasped. "Sleep all day? What kind of life is that?"

Tsunade shook her head and cupped one of Sakura's hands in her own. "It's only for a few more days…a week maybe," she said quickly.

Sakura slowly pulled away.

"I want to see Gaara again. The last time I was there, he was still unconscious. I want to be there when he wakes up!" she teared. "After all it…"

"Sakura," Tsunade interrupted, but the pink haired kunoichi continued with pain in her voice.

"It was my fault anyway," she whimpered. "After the extraction, you told me….he fell first and took most of the hit. I know that's why my injuries aren't as severe. Even in my mind, I felt it. I felt the pain when he disappeared. It was so…empty."

Sakura hung her head, and covered her face with her bruised arm.

"Sakura, it's not your fault. He's heavier, so he fell first. That's the way life is sometimes. Also, his low immune system has much to do with his state right now. Due to living life with sand as a shield, he's never had to experience a lot of real pain. The extraction was a shock to the system."

"But..." Sakura started again. "You haven't told me. Will he be okay?"

Tsunade gave a grin.

"Of course, Sakura. The only thing keeping him under at the moment is a lot of medication and genjutsu to fog his mind. It all helps Gaara to be more comfortable,"

'_Even if he is comatose…'_ she thought to herself.

"So the pain…it's greater than mine?" Sakura asked in a barely audible whisper.

Tsunade thought about her reply before speaking. The truth would be harsh, but given what Sakura had endured, she expected her to be able to handle it. At that point, that sort of thing was key.

"Yes. His chakra levels are barely there, and from the looks of it, without our treatment, his heart rate could escalate and he could perish at any time. However, stress is something we're taking care of at the moment, so you shouldn't worry so much. He's been exhibiting slight eye movement in his sleep, so it might be possible for him to be in thought and wake up soon," she paused to let Sakura breathe easily for a moment.

"Don't get me wrong, Sakura. Things **are** looking up. As for you, you should be caring for that broken arm of yours. It was dislocated at the shoulder, your hand was broken, and—

"—and the bone was so shattered you thought you'd have to open my arm and collect all the pieces! I know…I know Tsunade."

Tsunade 'hmphed' and put her hands on her hips.

"You could have lost your arm completely, Sakura. You're lucky."

Sakura scoffed.

"Don't you think I know? Gaara's in the hospital suffering and I'm…I'm just laying here."

"I didn't mean it like that, come on," Tsunade chided. "You can barely stand on your own."

The words rattled in Sakura's head for a long while, and Tsunade looked down, knowing an outburst would soon follow.

"I don't care!" Sakura protested. "I want to go and see him today! Temari came over yesterday and she said he responded to her voice and touch! I have to go and make my peace with him!"

"He's not dying, Sakura! He's stable! Push aside your feelings for him for a second, and remember that you have to take care of yourself, before anyone else! Remember what I told you?"

Sakura heaved a sigh. "A dead medic does a team no good. Let yourself heal before you heal others."

"Good," Tsunade nodded in reassurance, and then added a smirk. "Believe it."

Sakura lifted her broken arm with her other bruised, but healed hand and tried to flex the fingers. Tsunade watched the pseudo therapy, and then caught sight of the young woman's blush.

"Is there something else on your mind?" she asked, crossing her arms over her ample bosom.

Sakura resettled herself in bed and continued to try and flex her broken fingers.

"Do you….and the others…think that Gaara and I…fit well?" she asked shakily.

Tsunade smiled at the sudden subject change, and took a seat on the edge of Sakura's bed.

"Are you saying you _like_ him?" she asked with a cheeky grin.

Sakura jolted slightly and her master's imply, and turned bright pink.

"I, I never said that. I just….I mean …I don't want you and the others to get the wrong idea, you know."

Tsunade chuckled in response.

"Oh no Sakura, no, of course not."

Sakura saw laughter dancing in the Hokage's eyes, and mentally cursed herself for bringing up the subject in the first place.

"It's just that we spent so much time together during this whole ordeal and you guys might think that we…we felt things, or, or maybe did things—

"—did things? Ohohoho!" Tsunade burst into a fit of laughter, only aiding Sakura further in her tomato transformation

"No, no, no! I mean, the feelings that I had were just feelings! He never really kissed me!" She blurted and then covered her mouth in alarm.

Tsunade touched a finger to her lips coyly.

"So…is this why you really want to see Gaara? To confess your undying love? Your lustful fantasies?" she asked eagerly.

Sakura stared at her toes.

"I…I didn't mean to say that," she whispered.

"Sure…." Tsunade drawled. "But, is that really the sort of thing you imagine?"

Sakura closed her eyes to remember and almost slipped off. She hadn't realized she was so tired.

"I…remember that when I was unconscious, he was in my thoughts. He kissed me, but he said it was just to shut me up."

Tsunade observed her apprentice carefully.

'_That sounds like Gaara alright.'_

"Did that make you feel disappointed?" she asked.

Sakura thought before answering. She certainly didn't want her almost-sort-of-kind-little-bitty-crush on Gaara to become Konoha news.

"No," Sakura answered quickly. "It was just strange. And new. Strange and new."

"Hmmmnh…" Tsunade let out a nasally groan. Sakura was a terrible liar.

"Tsunade-sama, this isn't the issue. The issue is my visit to Gaara. After this whole ordeal, the least I can do is stay by his side. I mean…although it was rough in the beginning, there were times when I felt he wanted the best for me as well. That's the real Gaara."

"Real Gaara?" Tsunade questioned, obviously interested in Sakura's explanation. After all, the girl was letting on more than she was aware of.

"Well, when we left Sunagakure after Gaara's resurrection, you could tell there was a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. Without Shukaku, he looked almost…gentle. He took Naruto's hand and he smiled. It was small but…but it was the most beautiful thing I'd seen a while," Sakura covered up her sniffle with a soft giggle.

"Why do you always go for the bad boys?" Tsunade asked quietly with a smile.

Sakura's cheeks flushed crimson once more, but she didn't respond.

'_Sasuke…'_

"Has **he** asked about me?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade stood up straight and looked her apprentice straight in the eye.

"Since the day you were admitted, Sasuke never left your side. He was so protective of you…he would barely let the other medics go through," she said quietly.

Sakura bowed her head again.

"He left the day before you woke, he hasn't asked about you since. I think he's….afraid."

"Afraid? Sasuke? Of what?" Sakura blurted in astonishment.

"Of you. Of your lack of feelings towards him. It seems…he's come to terms too late, maybe?" Tsunade queried.

Sakura touched her lips gingerly, and remembered the kiss Sasuke had given her so long ago. He had pinned her up against the door and….

"Don't pair me up with Gaara so soon, Tsunade-sama. I won't make the mistake I made with Sasuke."

"Mistake?" Tsunade cocked an eyebrow.

"Sasuke never loved me; I could see it in his eyes…"

'_And feel it in his kiss.'_

"Still…he doesn't know what he wants, but I've already given up waiting. I did that for too long, and I paid the price. Even he must know that together…we'd never be happy," Sakura made the statement firmly without a single tear shed.

With that, Tsunade turned and made her way out.

"Why Sakura…" she whispered to herself. "I do believe you're healing quite well."

Inside, Sakura listened until she heard the older woman's footsteps disappear, and then peeled back the sheets from her body with a shaking hand. Although her other had was less damaged, it was still bruised and swollen from the fall. From across the room, Sakura stared into the mirror, and was immediately disgusted at what she saw.

A pasty faced, frail girl with greasy, thinning hair sat where she once stood, and mocked her. Sakura tried to ignore the sight, but she couldn't overlook the effects of the extraction. The use of chakra had drained her both mentally and physically. The effects would most certainly be long lasting.

"But it was worth it," Sakura mustered the strongest smile her muscles would allow, and clenched her bruised hand into a fist. "I overcame so much. We both did."

With all her strength, Sakura swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and managed to throw herself against the wheelchair Tsunade had ordered for her. She would be condemned to it for a while, although she was only to start using it after her arms had healed.

"Breathe Sakura…breathe," she told herself out loud, and used her free hand to wheel the chair forward. Her other arm, still in its sling, she cuddled close to her chest.

"Here we go," she spat out through clenched teeth as she rolled out the front door of her repaired apartment. (Although she could still see splitting wood where Naruto had told her Temari and Kankurou had come crashing through)

The pain was intense, and every time she pushed the wheel forward, her arm throbbed and ached. The bumpy gravel wasn't serving her much better either. As it rattled beneath the chair, Sakura could feel her stomach churning with nausea, and the stitches on her stomach wound stretching and adding to the swell of bruising on her body.

At last, a whopping foot and a half away from her apartment, Sakura stopped to breathe. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but Sakura knew better. Tsunade had warned her about weakness, and the temporary extraction. Once the scroll ran out, she would be forced to fight off the demon on her own. That meant that any bit of weakness in emotion would be a potential opening for inner Sakura to leech herself and grow.

The thought made Sakura shudder.

"Keep going," she told herself, and was about to push off again when she heard sudden footfalls sound behind her. They increased in speed before finally stopping in the direction behind her left ear.

"Sakura-san! What in the world are you doing!"

Sakura recognized the voice immediately, but didn't have the strength to turn around and face the speaker.

"Lee-san…mm…I'm just getting some air," Sakura lied through gritted teeth.

Lee quickly stood at attention and observed his pink-haired goddess carefully.

"Oh my youthful Sakura-san!" his eyes poured with tears. "Why must you lie so!"

Sakura frowned, secretly willing him to be quiet.

"Lee, I've just come this way to visit Gaara. Will you please take me?" she asked sweetly.

Lee's eyes widened, but then narrowed quickly.

"Sakura, I have a duty to protect you. That's my way, and I can't back down from that. After all that's happened, I've heard that Tsunade-sama wants you back in bed. I cannot disobey her orders, and I know tha by following the orders that she has instilled I will most certainly be able to do the things which I think that are in your best interest and those things that I do that are instilled by Tsunade-

"—Lee!" Sakura exclaimed. "Please…for me?"

Lee's eyes softened instantly, and quickly turned to hearts.

"Of course Sakura-chan…anything for you," he said in a daze, and pushed Sakura's wheelchair as fast as he could manage to the clinic.

"Shizune's here, so you have to sneak past her, alright Lee…kun?" Sakura gave a beautiful smile, and lee gave an almost drunk sort of nod.

Slowly, he pushed her chair through the back door, and leaned it up against one of the far walls as Shizune passed with a pleasantly plump little pig in her arms. She smiled happily as she popped into a patient's room, and overlooked the two. Lee breathed a sigh and lifted Sakura into his arms as he darted down the hall opposite the previous one.

"His room number is 314," Sakura whispered weakly, and lee nodded.

Seriousness washed over him as he held Sakura close to him. She was so thin…almost nothing but skin and bones.

"Here we are," he announced without another thought and pushed open door 314.

Sakura blinked rapidly to adjust her eyes to the dim lighting, and clutched lee's arm tightly. Although he had only heard about much of Sakura and Gaara's suffering through rumors circling around Konohagakure, Lee could feel his companion's heart beating strongly against his chest, and knew there had to be something unspoken between the two.

Suddenly, Lee felt Sakura jerk in his arms, and he looked up in the direction of Gaara's bed. There he was…a red-haired mess, sitting up on top of the sheets, his eyes listless and showing no sign of life. Sakura pried herself from Lee's arms, and forced herself to stand. However, the attempt was futile. As soon as her feet touched ground, she fell over, her legs jelly beneath her.

The edge of the bed cushioned her fall, and Sakura used her good arm to support herself as Lee straightened her back up.

"Gaara," she rasped, hoping for a response, but gained none.

Gaara stared off into seemingly nowhere, one leg twisted oddly out beside him.

"I think he's under genjutsu to keep him peaceful," Lee said quietly, and eased sakura into a proper sitting position on Gaara's bed.

Sakura's eyes flooded with tears as she watched the cheap cotton medical gown slip down Gaara's bare shoulder. It was too big for him, just as Sakura's had been for her.

It was hard for Sakura to see Gaara like that. He was the shell of the man he once was, and couldn't respond to a thing she said.

"Please Gaara…will you look at me? Please?" Sakura touched Gaara's hand, but he continued to stare out into nothingness, his pale green eyes cloudy and tired.

Sakura flexed her fingers gently, and caressed his skin. It was much paler than usual, and brought out his shocking red hair.

"He won't respond to you in this state, Sakura-san. You should come back in a few days," Lee reached out to touch Sakura's arm, but she withdrew.

Quickly, she whipped her head around. Her eyes were full of tears.

"Lee, could I…have this time to myself?" she pleaded quietly. "I can have someone from the clinic wheel me home…"

Instantly, Lee was struck with an overwhelming sympathy for the girl. With a low bow, he excused himself.

"Goodbye Sakura-san…" he whispered, although not quite sure she actually heard him.

Just as Sakura heard Lee leave, she wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist. She wasn't giving up so easily. That wasn't **her** ninja way! Not anymore.

"I'll just cancel the genjutsu and pump up his morphine. I can't bear to see him this way," Sakura said firmly, and touched a hand to Gaara's forehead.

"Kai!" she whispered and groaned sharply as she felt chakra being expelled from her body.

The simple act had run her near dry, and she knew if Tsunade saw her, she would be in deep trouble. Awaking Gaara that way was dangerous for them both. Without the genjutsu, Gaara's healing would take much longer, and by using up her energy to release him from his trance, Sakura was also sacrificing her own recovery.

Gaara's eyes remained foggy, but slowly, he rotated his head towards her.

"Sa…ku…ra…" he whispered, and fell back against the bed sheets with a soft grunt.

Sakura worked quickly as she heard Gaara start to moan in pain. She switched out his old morphine drip with a new and larger, feed line. The drug dribbled out quickly and slowly, Gaara's pain subsided. The fog in his eyes cleared, and was replaced with a wet sort of glaze.

"My leg…" he mumbled in a trance, and Sakura averted her eyes to Gaara's badly bruised leg. The bones had been reset, and Sakura knew he would soon need physical therapy.

"Leg…it's…I can't move it," Gaara gasped softly, and Sakura smiled hopefully as she heard him form a complete sentence.

"Gaara…I'm…I'm glad you're—

"—my leg, Sakura," Gaara stated drowsily, and let his head loll to the side.

Minute by minute, his thoughts would clear, but what would come out of his mouth would be uncontrollable. The morphine was a double edged sword.

"Okay Gaara," she smiled gently.

With her broken arm, Sakura carefully nudged Gaara's thigh to chest height so that his foot was pressed safely against her chest. As gently as possible, she used her free hand to massage the sore muscle, kneading his firm, pale skin. From his laying position on the bed, Sakura saw Gaara wince.

"Does it hurt?" She asked quietly and began sending light shocks of chakra through his leg.

"It's just stiff, I'll be back on it soon…" Gaara droned, his eyes drooping heavily from the morphine drip.

"I hope so," she stopped her work on his leg, and then began untying the knots on the front of his gown. "I've heard you've been a cantankerous patient."

Gaara watched her healed hand at work with the front of his gown without voicing a protest. Secretly, he relished the feel of her fingertips brushing against his skin. So soft…and light.

"I think I'm pretty good…" he smirked, catching one of Sakura's hands in his own.

Sakura stared down at her patient with a calm smile, and patted his chest. However, still under the influence, Gaara refused to let her go.

"Don't you think so…Sakura-chan?" he whispered.

Sakura's cheeks turned rosy with blush; although she knew Gaara was as good as drunk. The usually hardheaded and irritable ninja had no idea what he was saying, but her childish fantasies weren't helping the situation either.

With a humored smile, Sakura tried to jerk her hand away, but Gaara kept a firm hold on it.

"This feels good…" he whispered. "…safe…"

Sakura's eyes softened at his words, and slowly she fanned out her fingers enough to cover the skin over Gaara's heart. His eyes drifted up to hers once more, and then closed slowly.

"It hurts there…" he murmured and pressed his nose against Sakura's neck. "Help me….nurse."

With her healed hand, Sakura threaded her fingers through Gaara's hair. The softness of his voice had an amazing affect on her, and turned her legs to jelly once more.

Slowly, she leaned in to kiss his forehead, but was interrupted when the door to the room was pulled open abruptly.

"Aha! Shizune thought she felt your presence here!" Tsunade stood in the doorway, glaring angrily at her apprentice.

Sakura moved away from Gaara as fast as she could manage on the small bed, and fought to keep herself upright.

Tsunade studied the girl's face carefully before pointing an accusing finger between her eyes.

"Your chakra levels are still way below normal! I told you to stay in bed! You could have passed out on your way here!" she snapped.

Sakura looked back towards Gaara.

"I never realized just how bad he was. I was trying to do a bit of physical therapy work on his leg while he's drugged," she said quickly.

Tsunade was silent for a moment before chuckling.

"You're kidding me, right? That looked more physical than therapeutic…"

Sakura blushed at Tsunade's imply.

"He was speaking really softly. I just got a bit closer to listen. That's all Tsunade-shishou!" she snapped, and bit her lower lip.

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much," Tsunade giggled, but then stopped abruptly. "You took him off the genjutsu!"

Sakura hid her face.

"Sakura…you're just slowing his recovery. You're not helping!" Tsunade got right into Sakura's face, and frowned.

Sakura hung her head lower, and inadvertently, her lip began to tremble.

"I…I know!" she blurted. "But I just can't see him staring into nothing all day….as white as a ghost…so empty! I want to touch him, talk to him, and hear his voice…I…I don't quite know why…but I…"

Sakura smiled to herself. "I think I…love him."

Tsunade motionless with her hands on her hips, and in the background, Gaara mumbled unintelligible things about sand to himself. Sakura turned beet red, thankful that she had no other listeners, but when she lifted her head to face Tsunade, she saw that she was dead wrong.

Standing in the doorway holding Sakura's wheelchair by the handles was none other than…

Uchiha Sasuke.

A/n: I know this is short in comparison to the other chapters, but I thought this was a good place to end. Anyway, I love you guys, so please review. It really makes me happy! 'Cause if you don't I…I might have to kill you! No, but I might just take away your beloved chapter previews! Mwuahahahaha!

* * *

**Chapter 11 Preview: **

_Sakura smiled sadly in the downpour, and watched Sasuke walk away, and out of her life. The weight on her shoulders lifted instantly, and she knew that soon, her heart would be light. The feeling of control was new, but she quickly learned to like it. It was instinct, after all. _

_It was then in the rainstorm, Sakura felt her first bit of peace. Gaara's medicine dosage would be cut in half today and she would be first in line to see him. _

"_You're standing out in the rain. You're going to catch a cold, Sakura,"_

_Sakura turned around abruptly, and bumped into her mystery speaker. It was Temari, holding a clear colored umbrella over her head. With a smile, the older girl let it hover over Sakura's head, and ushered her towards the direction of her own temporary apartment. _

"_It's nice to see you Temari. Have you heard the news about Gaara?" Sakura smiled eagerly. _

_Temari looked down at her fellow kunoichi and saw the happiness dancing in her eyes. She really did care for Gaara. _

"_Yes, and I'm sure you will be first to see him," Temari nudged her. _

_Sakura blushed._

"_Oh, oh no. You and Kankuro can have the pleasure of going first. You're family," she said with a smile, and slipped her wet socks and sandals off at the door. _

_Temari did the same and led the way inside the kitchen, humming softly. With a devilish grin, the older girl turned back towards Sakura, and offered her a lukewarm cup of tea that had been sitting on a hotplate._

"_No worries Sakura-chan, I'm sure you'll be family soon anyway, if you know what I mean," she chuckled, relishing the look of shock and embarrassment on Sakura's face.

* * *

_


	11. A Kunoichi

Title: Sudden Exposure (On Her Sleeve)

Chapter eleven: A Kunoichi

* * *

"Thanks for bringing me home Sasuke. It was…very kind of you," Sakura said softly as the stoic Chuunin wheeled her inside her apartment.

"I heard what you said," Sasuke grunted in response.

Sakura chuckled softly, and then hung her head.

"I don't know what you mean," she said quickly and wheeled her chair into the kitchen.

With a deep frown, Sasuke grabbed the handles and stopped her in front of the refrigerator. Sakura gulped and tried to remain calm. Even after so many years, she was still uneasy in Sasuke's presence.

"That…bastard. You love that bastard?" Sasuke snapped.

Sakura winced beneath his gaze, but then turned her fear into fury

"Don't you dare call him that!" she bit back.

For a moment, Sasuke seemed taken back at her response, but a split second was all he needed to compose himself. Slowly, he backed up and put distance between them. Sakura watched him take his trademark nonchalant stance, but she could swear the temperature in the room had dropped at least 20 degrees.

"Ever since you were released from the hospital…all you've done is talk about him. Even in your sleep…" Sasuke hissed, his hands were clenched tightly by his sides.

"You—

Sakura started to protest, but was silenced by the look on Sasuke's face.

"—**I** was the one who was by your side when you were sick, **I **was the one who changed your sheets, watched you sleep, **I** cared for you! Not him!" his voice seemed to be breaking slight as he shouted, but in his eyes, Sakura could only see rage and disappointment.

"And what was he supposed to do Sasuke, wake up and care for me? Wake up for me and change some damn sheets!" Sakura screamed back.

She could barely contain the tears that threatened to spill at that point, but the words felt liberating as they sprouted from her lips.

Immediately, Sasuke turned his back on her and signaled the end of 'the discussion'.

He would always have that power over her.

"I'm out of here," Sasuke snapped suddenly, and walked out of the kitchen.

Sakura watched him disappear with watering eyes and clenched a fist against her chest.

It would be a week until she spoke to him again.

* * *

"Hey Pinkie! You're getting along good with the wheelchair I see!" Kankuro gave a broad smile and a wave as he passed Sakura on the road.

"Hey Kankuro…going to see Gaara?" Sakura muttered sourly, and gave the older boy a wave. She hated that nickname.

Kankurou didn't seem to sense her discomfort.

"Nah, not today. Temari and I have to take care of some business with the hokage. Some stuff about punishment for wrecking your apartment and injuring several of the leaf's guards," he ruffled his brown locks with a grimace and then smiled back up at her.

"Need a push somewhere?" he asked suddenly.

Sakura pulled on a pair of black leather gloves and shook her head no.

"I've got to put these wheels to use while I still have 'em. Besides, Tsunade-sama says that at this point of my healing, wheeling myself around will only serve to strengthen my muscles," she gave Kankuro a thumbs up.

"Are you going to see Gaara?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Yes. I brought fresh flowers for his window. I think he likes them…he stares at them when he's conscious." Sakura gave a little smile, as though she was pleased with herself.

"Yeah…" Kankuro shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down. "That sounds nice."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and blushed.

"Was there…something else?" she pressed the puppet master.

"I had a drink with Sasuke last night…" he met Sakura's eyes briefly, and then dropped his gaze to the ground; "his treat of course."

Sakura went stiff in her chair and immediately thought back to their fight. She had said things she didn't mean…or at least…the wrong way. They hadn't spoken since then and every time she saw him, the tension in the air was just too much.

"Oh?" Sakura gave an indifferent smile.

Kankuro came closer and frowned in discomfort.

"The Uchiha wanted to make it clear that…" he paused. "'He always gets what he wants.'"

Sakura clenched the fist on her good hand and growled.

"Is that so?" she snapped.

"Look…" Kankuro cracked his knuckles threateningly. "If you want me to tell him to lay off…"

"No, that's fine Kankuro. Uchiha-san and I are long due for a talk. Thank you for relaying the message," Sakura clenched the rims of her chair's wheels, and pushed off on the road towards the clinic.

Kankuro stood in the distance, watching her in astonishment.

'_Sasuke-brat had better watch out. After all…hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'_ He thought with a smirk, and turned off in the opposite direction to join his sister at the Hokage's tower.

Fuming, Sakura wheeled herself to the clinic as fast as she could and breezed past Shizune without their usual morning chitchat. Without a second thought, she rolled into Gaara's room and stopped at the foot of his bed.

Gaara was rolled onto his side, revealing his half open gown and the healing seals scribbled on his back. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, much to Sakura's delight. It was good to see him resting easily for once.

"Oh yes, I've brought you more flowers," Sakura spoke to Gaara's unresponsive form with a blush on her cheeks.

Carefully, she pulled two daisies from the bag on the side of her wheelchair.

"I picked them myself," she smiled. "It…it's weird right? I mean, they're red. Well, that's because I soaked them in a vase of red food coloring. They were pink for a while…but I added more. I thought you'd like that…maybe."

Sakura twiddled her thumbs and put a shaky hand atop Gaara's head. It was obvious the nerves had yet to wear off. He still had such a powerful affect over her, even when dead asleep. Careful not to wake him, she brushed the stray hairs from Gaara's face and used her fingertips to massage his scalp.

Slowly, she parted his red locks to the side and frowned at seeing the line of sand, dirt and oil that remained.

"Your hair is filthy," Sakura whispered into Gaara's ear, as if he could actually hear her.

From having all her time spent in his room, she knew just how much of a heavy sleeper to even notice if a bus crashed through the room.

With a little smirk, she lifted his bed sheets and the edge of his gown.

"Who am I kidding? You haven't been bathed since the day after you got here, They're afraid that if they move you, they'll hurt you, you know…" Sakura began to lift the sheets further, but then stopped as she saw his leg twitch.

"I'll do my best…" a voice grumbled.

It was so low and strained it was hard to believe it had come from Gaara. Blushing, Sakura wheeled back and stared as Gaara rolled himself onto his back. His eyes were just as clouded and listless as before and stayed fixed on the ceiling.

"Gaara…" Sakura outstretched a hand for his, but stopped when Gaara's eyes settled on her.

"Mother…" he whispered, and Sakura rolled back in shock.

Ever since her last visit, Gaara hadn't spoken a word. It was indeed a breakthrough. With a smile, Sakura began to right his wrong.

"No Gaara…it's…it's me—

Gaara's fist clenched beneath the sheets, but in contrast, his eyes softened.

"I'm sorry. Don't…please…" he pleaded softly.

Sakura heaved a sigh and wheeled herself over to his side once more.

"Don't worry, I won't," she whispered into his ear, and forced herself to pull away just as the door to his room was opened.

Tsunade stood in the doorway with her arms folded over her chest, smiling with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

"I take it he's speaking to you?" she asked innocently, but Sakura could hear the teasing in her voice.

With a frown, Sakura faced her teacher and shook her head in frustration.

"Sure, but he thinks I'm his mother, and those don't seem like good memories."

Tsunade chuckled and then ruffled Sakura's hair.

"He's still disoriented. You should be happy he's even speaking. You know…his stats are improving. Shizune and I have made the decision to lower his medicine dosage later this afternoon. Swing by around twelve. I'm sure by then he'll be able to recognize and hold full conversations with you."

Tsunade's words made Sakura freeze in place, and slowly, a frown spread over her lips. At that moment, words just couldn't come easily.

"I…I don't know what to say," she stammered.

Tsunade placed one hand on her hip as she looked at the chart at the foot of Gaara's bed.

"You really don't have to say anything. We're not lowering it due to your protests. We're lowering it because Gaara's getting stronger," she said simply.

"I-I didn't mean it that way," Sakura blushed.

"Then what did you mean?" Tsunade asked without turning around.

"I meant…I meant that when he regains full consciousness...I…I don't know what I should say." Sakura twiddled her thumbs against her lap and heaved a sigh.

With a warm smile, Tsunade put the chart down and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why don't you start out with…your feelings?"

Sakura's cheeks pinkened noticeably. She knew her previous talk with the troublesome hokage would be her downfall.

"I…I can't," she said suddenly.

Tsunade looked taken aback.

"What do you mean you can't?" she protested. "A week ago you told me you loved him!"

Sakura wheeled her chair away so that she was facing the wall.

"Well now I'm…not so sure," she bit her lower lip, thinking of Sasuke.

'"_He always gets what he wants.'"_

Tsunade twirled Sakura back to face her and pulled up her own chair. It was time for a girl to girl heart to heart.

"Now you tell me Sakura…." she started. "What happened to make you change your mind all of a sudden?"

Sakura said nothing for a while, and just stared at her hand, clenching and unclenching it from a fist to her bare palm.

"I guess I'm scared that I'll be rejected again…and fall into the same path that…."

She paused, but the stern look on Tsunade's face urged her on.

"…that path that got me sidetracked years ago."

"I assume you're talking about your early years with Sasuke," Tsunade made an offhanded gesture.

"Well… yeah," Sakura sighed heavily. "His sudden interest in me is making me both angry and confused. I mean, he's what I've wanted for so many years…but I don't feel he really wants me."

"Well then it's easy," Tsunade said bluntly. "He doesn't want you, he doesn't like you, and he most definitely doesn't need you. Sasuke merely likes entertaining the idea of wanting you…of needing you."

"What?" Sakura whispered.

"You see, Sasuke wants to keep face value, and let's "face" it, Gaara and Sasuke aren't the only ones with their eyes on you. You're a beautiful young woman and you even have a bit of a fan base."

Sakura shook in anger at what Tsunade was implying. However at this point in time, she definitely wouldn't put such actions past the hot-blooded Uchiha.

"So Sasuke wants me as some sort of….prize?"

"Sasuke's not one come in second at something. He sees Gaara as competition, and yeah, you as the prize," Tsunade shrugged, and began rooting in her pockets for something.

"I…can't say I didn't expect it of him, but why would he feel that Gaara's competition? He hasn't shown one bit of interest towards me, Tsunade-sama." Sakura watched as Tsunade plucked a small glass bottle of sake out from between her breasts.

"Ah, there we go," she paused momentarily to take a drink.

Sakura let out a heavy sigh.

'_She'll kill herself one of these days…'_

"Anyway, trust me. I'm a total expert on matters of the heart," Tsunade grinned. Sakura had to smirk at this.

"Is that or is that not after you've had a couple drinks down you?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Hey, I may be single, but I know exactly how to deal with men. They just can't resist a pretty woman. Gaara may be the biggest ass here and in Suna, but he has feelings for you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have gone through so much trouble for you both," Tsunade gestured to Gaara who was now lying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Sakura gave her a look of disbelief and then readjusted her gloves.

"He needed me to steal the scrolls. That's why," she said defensively.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and stood, obviously fed up.

"Sure," she sighed, placing her mini sake bottle back in its hiding place. "Of course, Sakura."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room before Sakura spoke again.

"I'm going to leave now, but I'd like to think of coming back to work here as soon as I heal. You know…be your apprentice once more."

Tsunade gave a grin and a thumbs up as Sakura sat expectantly.

"I'm ready for you anytime, Sakura-chan…"

"Great!" Sakura returned the sign and rolled herself towards the door.

"And don't forget Sakura …" Tsunade stopped her suddenly.

"Forget what?" Sakura looked up curiously.

"A kunoichi is forever underestimated. You set the limit, Sakura. Don't let anybody walk all over you. You don't need a man, or anyone else to hide behind. Remember that." Tsunade said firmly, and then gave Sakura a wink as she turned.

"Thanks Tsunade-shishou…" she whispered, and rolled out with a wave.

It was then Sakura felt an immense and hostile chakra approaching. She closed her eyes. It was familiar—sickeningly familiar.

"Sasuke…" she said quietly without bothering to look up.

Sasuke cleared his throat with a bit of a chuckle and put his hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Don't you think it's time we stopped this little "evasion dance"…Sakura-chan?" he whispered into her ear, causing her to shudder.

"I do believe so…" Sakura smirked, much to Sasuke's surprise.

Finally, she looked up and straight into his eyes.

"But not for the reasons you think," she said firmly. "I'm tired of your arrogance Sasuke Uchiha, and I'm sorry this is the first time I've voiced such a complaint."

Sasuke scanned Sakura's eyes for any sign of fear, but found none. Even as a raindrop splattered on her forehead, and slid down the bridge of her nose, Sakura refused to blink.

"You're stronger, I like that," Sasuke smirked. "Why is it so hard for you to come back to me?"

"Come back?" Sakura chuckled. "Back to what? Back to feeling used? Pathetic? Weak?"

Sasuke looked up to the sky as the few droplets of rain turned into a light shower, dampening his shirt. "Well, I'm sorry you felt that way, but I have to say…that never stopped you from tagging along in the past."

Sakura clenched and then unclenched her fist.

"Sasuke…I'd like to say first that I'm sorry for all that you've been through in your life…" she whispered, startling Sasuke.

"What?" he snapped.

"You were most likely much happier before all your misfortunes…and I know I wish I could have met you the—

"—you could have done nothing!" Sasuke growled. "So just shut up, Sakura!"

Sakura glared at him in frustration, and swept a lock of dampened, stringy hair from her face.

"It's always that attitude, isn't it! Bitch, moan, hurt, and put others down! Look at what you've become! You never once respected me the way I deserved! You're no better than Orochimaru, or, even Itachi!" she shouted.

Sasuke raised a hand in anger, but Sakura let out a loud, mocking laugh.

"Go ahead, hit me! Hit me Sasuke! Is that what you do to the ones you love!"

Sasuke lowered his hand at this and balled it into a fist by his side.

"Sakura, it seems you've grown far too much for me to restrain. You've seen past the façade. I never loved you," he grinned evilly as they both became soaked through by the rain.

Sakura sniffled, but refused to let herself cry.

"All I ever wanted was for you to reciprocate what I had given you, Sasuke. I was pathetic…and maybe even at times annoying, but I always wanted what was best for you."

"I don't need you for that. I take care of myself," Sasuke frowned, giving no sign of sympathy.

"For once, I wanted to be the one to protect someone. Protect you," Sakura whispered, ignoring his commentary.

"I've gotta tell you Sakura, you're far too weak for that," Sasuke smirked, and gave Sakura's hair a patronizing ruffle.

"Wrong!" Sakura smacked his hand away, scattering several droplets of rain into his face." I don't need you to stand behind any longer! Not you, not Naruto, not Rock Lee, not Ino, not anyone!"

Sakura smiled and took a deep breath.

"I am a woman. I…am a kunoichi. I stand strong and never back down. Not even to you Sasuke."

Sasuke gave another chuckle.

"You gonna fight me now?" he asked.

"I don't need to," Sakura said with confidence as she pulled off one of her gloves.

Before Sasuke knew what hit him, wet leather had connected with the side of his face. It didn't leave a mark, or even a red print, but by the look in his eyes, it had affected him more than any punch or kick to the groin would have.

"The way you made me feel is most of the reason why I'm in this wheelchair Sasuke, but I have to thank you for it. You know why?"

"Why?" Sasuke rasped, his throat suddenly dry.

"Because **I **got to help someone this time. **I'm** now the protector of someone." Sakura pointed at her chest with her thumb.

Sasuke stared her straight in the eyes, and again, when he saw no weakness, broke the gaze.

"What makes you think **he'll** love you?" he asked.

Sakura looked down at her lap, but was unafraid to answer the question.

"I don't expect his love. The only thing I ask for is his friendship. I won't make the mistake of offering up my heart on a silver platter once again."

Sasuke turned his back on her as he heard her speak.

"Good," he muttered. "Maybe…maybe…Hnh."

He started, but stopped. Sakura breathed a sigh. It was alright. She wouldn't expect the world from him. After all, had never promised it.

"Goodbye Sasuke..." Sakura urged him to leave, signaling the end of conversation.

Sasuke began walking without a word. His parting gesture was a simple upwards flick of his index and middle finger. Not a wave…not a sign of peace…just an open invitation to continue the war of words at another day…another time.

"Hnh. See you later…Sasuke-teme…" She whispered a smile on her lips.

Sakura continued to smile sadly in the downpour, and watched Sasuke walk away, and out of her life. The weight on her shoulders lifted instantly, and she knew that soon, her heart would be light. The feeling of control was new, but she quickly learned to like it. It was instinct, after all.

It was then in the rainstorm, Sakura felt her first bit of peace. Tsunade had said Gaara's medicine dosage would be cut in half and she would be first in line to see him that afternoon.

"You're standing out in the rain. You're going to catch a cold, Sakura,"

Sakura turned around abruptly, and bumped into her mystery speaker. It was Temari, holding a clear colored umbrella over her head. With a smile, the older girl let it hover over Sakura's head, and ushered her towards the direction of her own temporary apartment.

"It's nice to see you Temari. Have you heard the news about Gaara?" Sakura smiled eagerly.

Temari looked down at her fellow kunoichi and saw the happiness dancing in her eyes. She really did care for Gaara.

"Yes, and I'm sure you will be first to see him," Temari nudged her.

Sakura blushed.

"Oh, oh no. You and Kankuro can have the pleasure of going first. You're family," she said with a smile, and slipped her wet socks and sandals off at the door.

Temari did the same and led the way inside the kitchen, humming softly. With a devilish grin, the older girl turned back towards Sakura, and offered her a lukewarm cup of tea that had been sitting on a hotplate.

"No worries Sakura-chan, I'm sure you'll be family soon anyway, if you know what I mean," she chuckled, relishing the look of shock and embarrassment on Sakura's face.

"Temari-san…" she chided, but the young blonde laughed in response.

"Here, hand me your clothes and I'll get you something warm to wear…," Temari brought out a wooden stand and hung Sakura's wet socks over one of the standing poles.

"Sure, thank you," Sakura whispered and tossed off her leather gloves as Temari disappeared into another room.

The rest was easier said than done. Her shirt and shorts took longer for her to wrestle off, and by the time she had finished undressing, she had fallen out of the wheelchair and was lying face down on the hardwood floor, staring up at a rather amused Temari.

"Don't hurt yourself, kid," she chuckled and eased Sakura into the easiest sitting position she could muster.

Temari stepped back and stared at the younger girl in shock. Sakura's stomach looked almost caved in on itself, as though she hadn't eaten in months. Her eyes were sullen, and the dark circles under her eyes left exposed.

"You haven't been taking good care of yourself, Imouto." Temari teased. (A/N: Imouto means younger sister.)

Sakura rolled her eyes and blushed as she slipped into the clothes Temari had brought. A black turtleneck shirt with long fishnet sleeves and a pair of black pants that cut off at the ankle. "I just haven't had the time to relax. I—

"—stop worrying about Gaara. He's doing a lot better. Just let me take care of you like…you really are my sister," Temari lifted a hand to ruffle Sakura's hair, but stopped.

"How long has it been since you shampooed and conditioned?" she grimaced.

Sakura smiled sheepishly.

"Like I said…I really haven't had much time."

So before she knew it, Sakura was having her hair washed, blow dried, combed and contorted every which way.

"I like these clothes, but they're a bit big. Are you sure they're yours? You only look about one size bigger than me," Sakura squeaked as Temari brushed at her hair violently.

"They're Gaara's, Imouto." She giggled.

"Temari…" Sakura heaved a sigh, but then blushed.

'_Aie! I'm wearing his shirt!'_

"Anyway, they make you look cute, and hide the fact you've been starving yourself," Temari frowned and placed a clip in Sakura's hair.

"So…what does it look like?" Sakura asked, peering behind Temari's arms.

With a grimace, Temari clamped a hand over Sakura's eyes, and shielded her from the mirror on the wall.

"Nothing good…. I just can't work with short hair!" she exclaimed.

"And since when are you an expert on style? You wear your hair the same way, everyday…_onee-chan_…." Sakura countered.

Temari rolled her eyes and brushed Sakura's hair out once more.

"Don't give me lip," she snapped and then placed a simple butterfly clip in Sakura's hair to pull back her bangs.

"You should wear a nice necklace. Here…." Temari showed Sakura a long strand of hollow white beans dyed pink.

"Did you make this?" Sakura asked.

Temari nodded, thinking of Gaara.

"Before Gaara was born… I made a bean necklace for my little baby brother or little baby sister to wear. I spent hours on it—ask Kankuro," she smiled wistfully. "But when mother gave birth and we were told what the elders had done to Gaara…I was scared."

Sakura remained silent.

"I was a kid….I heard of Shukaku's powers and I feared for my life. That day, when Gaara was introduced into the family, I threw the necklace into the river, along with all good blessings of happiness for my brother."

"You were a kid," Sakura offered. "You didn't—

"—I was his sister…I never gave him the love and respect he deserved. But to you…for helping him…I made this. A new one. I'm doing something right this time. Good blessings for both of you. Huzzah,"

Temari smiled and rubbed at her eyes for a moment and then burst into teary eyed laughter.

"Now how about some miso soup!"

_She's beautiful…poised…strong. A kunoichi. What a day for being brave_, Sakura thought as she fingered the pink beans as she slipped the necklace on and grinned.

"Ah…you're too good to me onee-chan…too good."

* * *

A/n: Can you tell I hate Sasuke? Anyway, I apologize for taking so long to update, and I hope you've noticed that On Her Sleeve is back! Should I change my name back too?

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview:**

_"I don't like apples," Gaara snapped suddenly, and then gave a faint blush in reaction to his own heartless behavior. It reminded him too much of what he used to be, and that bothered him._

_Sakura gave a saddened look, but it lasted only for a moment. In the seconds that followed, Gaara's heart raced._

_Her smile._

_It was her smile again. It lit up the room and made him feel dizzier; if possible._

_"Why?" she asked, with a new sparkling grin._

_Gaara was caught off guard by the question, and was suddenly distracted. Sakura was leaning in closer, flooding his nostrils with the sweet scent of cherry blossoms and some kind of berry soap that was foreign to him. He blushed inadvertently, and bowed his head to respond._

_"I can't stand sweet things," he muttered under his breath._

_Sakura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and reeled back, much to Gaara's surprise._

_"Don't like sweet tings!" she exclaimed. "That's amazing! I've never heard of anything like that in m life!"_

_Sakura gave a giggle and put aside the applesauce. Gaara sighed quietly in relief and then lay back against the mattress. Sakura studied him for a long while before Gaara narrowed his eyes in annoyance._

_"What? Is there something ridiculous about me?" he asked._

_Sakura smiled playfully, and threw her arms around the wounded ninja._

_"Nope. It's just so good to see you," she whispered. "So good."_

_Gaara sat there awkwardly for the longest time, unsure how to respond. Her smell and warmth were intoxicating, and for once, he was unrestrained to show how he felt. With his eyes shut tightly, Gaara limply drew his own arms around her, and pushed his forehead against her shoulder._

_"I'm glad you're not all bloody and dead." he mumbled. "'you know."_


End file.
